Two for the Road
by DataAndrd
Summary: Sequel to 'I Cross My Heart' - Miley & Lilly head out on a summer road trip to explore California... and their new relationship together. Liley
1. Together

A/N: Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews of my last story... I hope you like this sequel as well :) This one won't be a oneshot, though... I'm trying my hand at sending the ladies on a nice long trip this time :)

Standard legal stuff applies: I don't own Hannah Montana or anything remotely connected to it

P.S. To .-BBaLLChik4-. You're right, I forgot to put Oliver in my last story... guess I was so busy focusing on Miley & Lilly I forgot about Smokin Oken :) He's in this one though, and I tried to explain why he was missed before. Hope it helps :)

HANNAH MONTANA

"TWO FOR THE ROAD"

CHAPTER ONE

TOGETHER

It had been almost two weeks since her high school graduation, and Miley Stewart was the happiest she could ever remember being… and all because of her best friend, Lilly Truscott. Ironically, it had taken almost losing Lilly to make Miley realize just how much her best friend meant to her. Now, having finally admitted their true feelings for each other, they had embarked on a relationship together.

On a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, they decided to finally share their happiness with their family and friends.

"Are you sure about this, Miles?" Lilly asked, as they walked back to the Stewart house after a day at the beach together. Miley nodded confidently.

"I'm sure, Lils; I want everyone to be happy for us."

"What if they're not?" Lilly asked quietly. Miley could hear the fear in her voice, and she reached out to take Lilly's hand in her own.

"They will be," she said confidently. "No matter what happens though, I'm never going to leave you, Lilly. I love you." Lilly smiled and blinked back a tear.

"I love you too, Miley." She swallowed.

"Who do you think we should tell first?" Lilly asked.

"Oliver," Miley said after a moment's thought.

"I guess that makes sense," Lilly said. "He's our best friend; he deserves to know first."

"Definitely," Miley agreed. She grinned. "I also see him sitting at the Surf Shop already." Lilly laughed and swatted Miley playfully on the arm.

"You could've just said that," she giggled.

"Sure," Miley said with a grin, "but where's the fun in that?" Lilly laughed again.

"You know my sense of humor's one of the things you love about me," Miley teased her.

"Yup," Lilly agreed, leaning over to kiss Miley quickly on the cheek. "That, and everything else." Miley felt herself starting to blush and squeezed Lilly's hand.

"Stop that," she whispered to her girlfriend, flashing a slightly embarrassed smile.

"For now," Lilly promised, "but only because I don't want to give Oliver a heart attack!" The two girls walked hand-in-hand over to Rico's Surf Shop, where Oliver was sitting having a drink a water… and trying unsuccessfully to get a cute girl's attention.

"Hey, Ollie!" Lilly greeted him. "How's summer school?" Oliver winced. He had not been able to graduate with everyone else because of an English class he'd failed, and was now stuck in summer school trying to earn the credits he needed to get his diploma.

"It's so painful, I don't even have a good comeback for that one," he muttered.

"Aw, it'll be all right Oliver," Miley said. "You'll be through it before you know it!" Oliver smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Miley; I sure hope so. So, what are you two lovely ladies up to today?" Oliver looked down and frowned slightly.

"And since when do you two hold hands so much?" he asked. Miley & Lilly exchanged an amused look.

"Um, Oliver… there's something we need to tell you," Miley began.

"Not here, though!" Lilly said, a bit more loudly than she'd intended. Oliver looked at his two best friends curiously.

"Okay… so we're leaving then?"

"Let's just go for a little walk," Miley suggested. "Come on, Oliver." The three friends stood and walked out onto the beach. Once they were past most of the sunbathers and swimmers, Oliver turned to look at Miley again.

"Okay, so what's the big secret you need to tell me?"

"Promise you won't freak out?" Lilly asked carefully.

"Why would I freak out? You guys are my best friends."

"You're our best friend too, Oliver," Miley said, hugging him gently. Lilly did the same. "It's just… well, Lilly and I… we aren't just friends anymore." Oliver looked at both his friends, his eyes wide.

"Um… are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?" he managed. Lilly couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes, you doughnut… Miley and I are together now."

"Together? Like, together together?" Miley grinned and nodded.

"Yep… like girlfriends. Remember, you promised you wouldn't freak out!"

"I'm not gonna freak out!" Oliver protested. "You just caught me by surprise is all." He stopped and turned to look at his two best friends.

"I'm happy for you both, really. Actually, I'm surprised it took you this long." He grinned.

"What are you talking about?" Lilly asked.

"Come on, Lils… I've seen how close the two of you have become. I figured it was only a matter of time before you & Miley figured things out." Lilly laughed.

"Wish you would've told us," she teased.

"So you're really okay with this?" Miley pressed.

"My two best friends are happy… why wouldn't I be?" Oliver asked with a smile.

Miley and Lilly both hugged Oliver happily.

"You're the best, Oliver… we love you!"

"I love you guys, too," Oliver replied, fighting to keep from being embarrassed by the sudden show of emotions. He cleared his throat and stepped back.

"So… have you told your parents yet?"

"Not yet," Miley said softly. "We're going to today; we wanted you to be the first to know."

"Really?" Oliver asked

"Really," Lilly answered him. "We wanted you to be the first to congratulate us!" Oliver laughed.

"That's my Lilly, all right." He saw the sudden possessive look in Miley's eyes and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"You know what I meant," he said sheepishly.

"Just giving you a hard time," Miley said with a smile. Then she turned serious.

"Well, we better get going, Lils; we've still got our parents to talk to." Lilly nodded.

"Okay," Oliver replied. "Good luck; I'm sure you won't need it though." He smiled.

"Call me later and let me know how everything went, okay?"

"We will," Miley said, reaching out to hug him again. "Thanks for being such a great friend, Oliver."

"That's what us doughnuts do," he quipped.

* * *

The girls next decided to visit Lilly's mom and share their news with her… thanks in no small part to Miley's nervousness about talking to her father.

"I thought you said everyone was gonna be happy for us?" Lilly accused her playfully, as they walked up to the front door of her house.

Oh, sure!" Miley said, fidgeting slightly. "I just, you know… want your mom to be happy first!"

"Miles…"

"Okay, so I'm a little worried!" Miley exclaimed. "If… when… things go well with your mom, then I'll be a lot less worried about talking to my dad and Jackson, okay?" She made a sad puppy dog face. Lilly laughed and put her arms around Miley.

"You always get me with that," she said, shaking her head and grinning. "All right, Miles… if it'll make you feel better, I'll bite the bullet first."

"Thanks, Lils!" Miley hugged her girlfriend fiercely. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!" Lilly arched an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? How?" she challenged. Miley leaned close to Lilly and whispered something in her ear. Lilly turned a polite shade of pink.

"Would that be okay?" Miley teased in a sultry voice. Lilly swallowed.

"Oh, yeah… Lilly likey!" she breathed. After taking a few moments to compose herself, Lilly forced herself to let Miley go – except for her hand, which she still held – and reached over to knock on the door. A few moments later, it opened to reveal Lilly's mother, wearing a dirty apron and looking slightly out of breath.

"Hi, mom!" Lilly greeted her. "Uh… what are you doing in there?"

"Hi, girls!" Heather Truscott replied, stepping aside so her daughter and Miley could enter. "Oh, just trying out a few of my cookbooks, Lilly. Why?" Lilly made a face. Try as she might, her mother had never been a good cook, but she never stopped trying… much to Lilly's stomach's dismay.

"Guess that explains the mess then," Lilly quipped, noticing the mass of bottles, bags, pots and bowls covering the kitchen counter. Heather Truscott ignored her daughter's comment and walked back into the kitchen to continue her cooking.

"So, to what do I owe the honor of your visit, Lilly? I thought you'd be at Miley's all day."

"Actually mom, we've got something to tell you," Lilly replied. She paused to look over at Miley, who smiled and squeezed her hand affectionately.

Come on Truscott, you can do this!

"Oh?" Heather Truscott asked, looking away from the pot she had been stirring. "What's that?" Lilly took a deep breath.

"You know Miley's my best friend and she'd never do anything to hurt me, right?" Lilly began quickly.

"Of course, dear; Miley's been a wonderful friend to you." Heather Truscott looked over at Miley with a friendly smile.

Wonder if she's still gonna be smiling in a moment? Miley thought to herself.

"Well, what if I told you… Miley's more than a best friend to me?" Lilly asked carefully. Heather Truscott looked at her daughter for a long moment, searching her face for some clue as to what she was talking about.

"What do you mean, honey?" she asked Lilly, turning back to her pot when she suddenly noticed it was about to boil over.

Why do you have to make this so hard, mom? Lilly griped silently to herself.

"Mom… Miley and I are, um…" Oh, just spit it out!

"We're in love with each other!" Lilly exclaimed in a rush. Heather Truscott nearly dropped her spoon.

"Wh-what?" She was positive she hadn't heard that right.

"I said Miley and I are in love with each other, mom." She squeezed Miley's hand as if to demonstrate what she was saying. "I guess we have been for the longest time, but it took until graduation for us to finally admit it."

"Lilly makes me really happy, Mrs. Truscott; and I swear I'll always take care of her," Miley added quickly, trying her best to support Lilly. Heather Truscott pulled herself over to the kitchen table and sat down, not saying anything for several long, tense moments. Miley felt Lilly tense against her, and looked over to see her furiously trying to blink away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Don't cry, Lils," Miley whispered softly to her. "It'll be all right, you'll see. I'm gonna be right here with you, okay?" Lilly nodded wordlessly and leaned her head against Miley's shoulder. Miley responded by resting her cheek against Lilly's forehead and gently stroking her long blonde hair. Watching the two of them together, Heather Truscott could see just how much they loved each other, and the depths of Miley's devotion to her little girl. That made up her mind.

"I'm sorry girls," she said after a moment. "I apologize for being so quiet. I wasn't sure what to think about all this at first, but now, after watching the two of you together… well, I can see how much you truly mean to each other." She got up and hugged both girls warmly.

"I'm really happy for you, Lilly-bear."

"Mo-om! Do you have to use the name?!" Lilly whined at the sound of her mother's childhood nickname for her. Heather Truscott just laughed.

"Miley, I expect you to take good care of my little girl," she said to Miley.

"I promise Mrs. Truscott, I will; as long as there's still a breath left in me."

* * *

After having lunch with Lilly's mom – though not any of the things she had been trying to cook, to Lilly's relief – the girls finally made their way to the Stewart house. They walked in through the back door, and Miley spotted her father, Robbie Ray, sitting on the couch watching television. When she didn't walk over to him right away, Lilly leaned in close and whispered to her.

"Come on, Miles… if I did it, you can do it!"

"Okay, okay…" Miley retorted, grinning sheepishly. "Walk over there with me?"

"Sure," Lilly said warmly, and together they strode into the living room.

"Hey, daddy!" Miley called out to her father.

"Hey, bud. Have fun at the beach?"

"Always do, when I'm with Lilly," Miley said happily as she sat down on the couch beside him.

"Daddy… there's something I need to tell you." Something in the tone of her voice got Robbie Ray's attention, and he turned to look at her.

"Everything ok, bud?" he asked.

"Oh yeah dad, everything's fine… it's really, really good news, I swear!" Robbie Ray arched an eyebrow.

"How come you sound nervous then?"

"I'm just… not sure how you're gonna react, daddy; I want you to be happy for me." Robbie Ray looked at his daughter carefully.

"Is this about you and Lilly?" he asked after a moment.

"Daddy say what?!" Miley gaped. Robbie Ray laughed.

"Miley, I'm not blind; I've seen how close the two of you have become since graduation. Besides…" He grinned. "Your Aunt Dolly might've mentioned a few things to me."

You're not… upset or anything?" Miley asked hesitantly.

"Why would I be upset?"

"I just thought… well, because Lilly & I are both girls, you might not…"

"I might not what? Accept that my little girl has fallen in love?" Smiling, he reached over to gently stroke his daughter's hair. "To someone who's always been there for her, and who's always been a great friend to her?" Behind them, Lilly found herself starting to cry.

"Bud, if Lilly's the one you've chosen, then I couldn't be happier for the both of you."

"Really?" Miley asked quietly, starting to cry herself now. Robbie Ray nodded.

"All fathers know there's going to come a day when their little girl has to grow up. We hate it, and we hate thinking about it, but we know we can't stop it. So, all a daddy can really ask for his little girl is that she finds someone who will love her and take care of her… and I know Lilly will do both of those things." Lilly grabbed Robbie Ray from behind in a fierce, tearful hug, and Miley did the same.

"Thank you, daddy," she managed. "I love you." Robbie Ray hugged his daughter tightly.

"I love you, too… both of you." He looked up at Lilly.

"You better take good care of my little girl, Lilly."

"I promise, Mr. Stewart… I'll always take care of her," Lilly said, wiping away tears. Robbie Ray smiled at her.

"I know you will, darlin'. Well, now that's settled… you can come sit down next to Miley now, Lilly," he laughed. "I promise I won't bite." Lilly did so, and Miley put her arms protectively around the woman she loved.

"Well, that went a lot better than I thought it would," Lilly said happily. Miley grinned.

"Told ya."

* * *

Later, up in Miley's room, the girls called Miley's older brother Jackson to share their news with him as well. To their surprise and delight, he was as happy for them as everyone else had been.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Miley had asked him.

"As long as I don't have to hear any details, I'm fine," Jackson joked. "Seriously Miles, you and Lilly will be good for each other."

You really think so?" Miley asked.

"Sure," Jackson replied with a grin. "Now I don't have to chase any more boys away!"

"Whatever, Jerkson… I love you."

"Love you too, sis; tell Lilly I said hi." After hanging up the phone, Miley & Lilly laid down on Miley's bed to relax. Eventually, they began to talk about their plans for the summer. Miley was already overjoyed that she was going to be able to spend it with Lilly after all, but now that they were girlfriends, she wanted it to be extra special… and she had a plan to make their summer just that.

"So what do you think?" Miley asked excitedly.

"Oh, that'd be awesome, Miles! What about Hannah though?" Lilly asked. Miley smiled.

"Hannah could use the break; and I wanna spend some time with you." She wrapped her arms around Lilly and gave her a quick kiss.

"We've got some lost time to make up for, too," she said softly. Lilly blushed.

"I'll have to ask my mom, though; and you still have to ask your dad."

"Ask her dad what?" Robbie Ray interrupted. Miley & Lilly shrieked and jumped off the bed, startled. Robbie Ray stood in the open doorway of Miley's room, smiling.

"Dad, jeez! Knock or something, will ya!" Miley gasped. Robbie Ray laughed.

"Sorry, bud. I was just comin' to see if you ladies might like to go out to dinner tonight."

"That sounds nice daddy, but what's the occasion?" Miley asked.

"Does a daddy need a reason to treat his daughter and her girlfriend?" Robbie Ray asked with a smile.

"Aw dad, that's sweet… that'd be great!" Miley rushed over to give him a big hug.

"So, what is it you were gonna ask me about?" Robbie Ray asked her, smiling again.

"Well, before you almost stopped my heart," Miley playfully complained, "Lilly and I were talking about going on a trip together."

"Oh? What kind of trip?" Miley & Lilly exchanged a quick look.

"A road trip, daddy," Miley said after a moment. "Lilly & I want to spend the summer driving through California together, just the two of us." A look of doubt flashed across Robbie Ray's face.

"Come on dad, you said you were okay with me and Lilly being together!"

"You know me better than that, bud." Robbie Ray said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I know you & Lilly love each other, and I can see it with my own eyes. I'm happy for you two, really."

"Then what?" Miley asked, confused.

"The rest of the world may not be so kind, bud," Robbie Ray said carefully. "I'm just worried about what might happen when you & Lilly get out there and everyone sees you two together. There are gonna be people out there who might not like what they see. I don't want to see you two get hurt."

"I know, daddy," she said gently. "I know there are gonna people who won't approve of Lilly & me, but I love her. I don't wanna hide what I feel for her, just because some narrow-minded people think it's wrong. What kinda life would that be, if we all lived the way other people told us to?" For a long moment, Robbie Ray didn't say anything.

When did you get so grown up? He wondered, staring in wonder at his teenage daughter. And how did I miss it? Your momma would be so proud of you…

"Dad, are you okay?" Miley asked, concerned. Then she noticed unshed tears shining in his eyes.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" Miley took one of his hands and squeezed it gently.

"I'm fine, bud, really… just got something in my eye…"

"Come on dad, I'm not ten anymore," Miley said. "I know you better than that."

"Tell me about it…" Robbie Ray whispered sadly to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing, bud; I'm just really proud of the wonderful young woman you've grown up to be." He gently kissed the top of Miley's head.

"Now you're trying to make me cry with you!" Miley teased. Robbie Ray laughed.

"You're right, you can't live your life bein' afraid of what other people think," he said after a moment. "You gotta do what makes you happy… and I know Lilly makes you happy." He looked over at Lilly at smiled.

"You wanna go on this trip, you go ahead; you got my blessing. Just be careful."

"Thanks, daddy!" Miley squealed joyfully and squeezed her father in another hug.

"You just better make sure you call me and let me know you're okay," he reminded his daughter playfully. Then he walked over to Lilly and hugged her as well.

"Just try not to have too much fun," he said with a gin.

"Daddy!!"

* * *

"So whose car do you think we should take?" Lilly asked later. They had called Lilly's mom after dinner and gotten her permission as well, now the two young lovers were engrossed in planning out their perfect trip.

"Let's take mine," Miley answered. "It's brand new, and we'll look really cool drivin' around California in it!" Lilly giggled. Miley's father had given her a beautiful brand new jet black BMW 745Li as a graduation present. Sometimes, having Hannah Montana's money could really come in handy.

"All right," Lilly laughed. "Where do you think we should go?" Miley walked over to her dressed, opened a drawer, and pulled out a map.

"You keep maps in there?" Lilly teased her. Miley laughed.

"I like to keep track of every place I've been as Hannah Montana," she replied. "Kind of my way of holding on to all the memories, you know?" Lilly smiled.

"That's sweet, Miles!" Miley plopped down on her bed beside Lilly and opened up the map in front of them.

"Anywhere in particular you want to go, Lils?" Miley asked her girlfriend. "Maybe someplace special you've always wanted to see?"

"Any place is special, as long as I'm with you," Lilly purred. She leaned in to gently kiss the side of Miley's neck.

"That's not helping!" Miley managed.

"You want me to stop then?" Lilly teased.

"Let's not talk crazy now," Miley replied. Lilly giggled.

"Didn't think so," she said with a smile. She kissed Miley again, and this time began to nibble the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder.

"How do you know how to do that so good?" Miley half-moaned.

"Wait until I get in some practice," Lilly promised, her voice practically a growl. Not even daring to let her thoughts go there, Miley gently pushed Lilly away.

"Much as like this – and believe me Lils, I LIKE this – daddy's just downstairs; and it's not getting us any closer to making our vacation plans, okay?" Lilly pouted.

"Oh no… the pout face isn't gonna help you this time!," Miley replied with a grin. "Later, though…" She slid a hand slowly along Lilly's side.

"You, Miss Stewart, play dirty!" Lilly complained. Miley wagged an eyebrow.

"I bet I won't be hearing you complain about that later," she teased, her voice low and soft. Lilly's eyes widened. She immediately jumped up into a sitting position beside Miley, keeping her eyes purposely focused on the map in front of them.

"O-kay! So, where were we?" Miley choked back a laugh.

"Any ideas now? About our vacation?" she was quick to add.

"Well… maybe one," Lilly offered.

"Well, speak up then Truscott!" Miley said with a giggle.

"Ever been here?" she asked Miley, pointing to a particular city on the map. Miley looked at where she was pointing.

"Actually, no," she said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Bet it'd be romantic," Lilly suggested with a grin.

"Bet it'd be cold too," Miley retorted.

"Maybe," Lilly admitted, "but that just gives me an excuse to keep you warm."

"All right-y then!" Miley said with a smile. "We can start there… and just work our way back south."

"Sounds like a plan," Lilly agreed. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Miley again, snuggling against her as she began to sing happily.

"San Fran-cisco, here we come…"


	2. City by the Bay

CHAPTER TWO

CITY BY THE BAY

The alarm clock near Miley's bed announced the dawning of a new day with an obnoxious, ear-splitting buzzing sound. Startled by the sudden noise, Miley nearly jumped completely out of bed. Recovering, she groaned and reached over to shut the infernal thing off.

_Whose idea was it to start this trip so darn early?_ She grumbled to herself. Then a familiar-looking arm wrapped itself around her from the other side of the bed, and Miley smiled as she felt the warmth of the woman she loved envelop her. Looking over at Lilly's slumbering form, Miley decided this was how she wanted to wake up for the rest of her life.

"Hey, sleepy-head," she called out gently, "Time to get up." Lilly's only response was to bury her head more deeply into her pillow and pull her arm more tightly around Miley. Grinning, Miley lay back down beside her and began to gently stroke her hair.

"Come on Lils," she said in a quiet voice. "The sooner we get up, the sooner we can start our trip… and the sooner we can do more of this." She lowered her head to gently kiss the side of Lilly's neck. Lilly moaned softly into her pillow, but still refused to budge.

"Don't make me come over there and _wake_ you up, Truscott!" Miley whispered into Lilly's ear. Lilly's head shot up from her pillow, a deep red flush coloring her cheeks.

"You don't play fair," she complained playfully.

"I take after you," Miley retorted. Lilly laughed and reached out to grab her pillow, ready to defend her honor in a good old-fashioned pillow fight.

"Them's fightin' words," Lilly joked, trying to talk like a cowboy. Miley giggled.

"Take it easy, pardner," she replied, playing along. "We've got more important things to do."

"Like what?" Lilly asked, dropping her pillow and standing up.

"For starters… we need to take a shower," Miley answered. "_To get clean_," she added, seeing the look in Lilly's eyes.

"You're no fun," Lilly pouted. She and Miley had yet to do anything more than some fairly serious making out, but they loved to flirt as though there were more.

_If the time ever does come, when we're both ready for more… I don't ever want it to be with anyone but you, Miley_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a bra and a pair of panties smacking her in the face.

"You might need those," Miley quipped from across the room.

"Keep it up, Stewart," Lilly threatened playfully as she picked up the undergarments. "I might just decide not to wear any; then what?" It was Miley's turn to blush.

"I am _so_ not answering that!" she said, turning away.

"You already did, sweety," Lilly said with a smile. She walked over to Miley and kissed her passionately, then walked into the bathroom.

"Try not to use all the hot water," Miley teased her. Lilly laughed and stuck her tongue out before closing the bathroom door behind her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they had both showered and gotten dressed, Miley & Lilly headed downstairs to find a hearty breakfast of homemade pancakes and bacon waiting for them.

"Daddy!" Miley gaped, seeing her smiling father standing at the stove. "You didn't have to do all this!"

"Just wanted to make sure my girls had a good hot meal before they headed out on their big vacation," Robbie Ray said. It took Miley a second before she realized what her father had said.

_My girls…_

He was already beginning to treat Lilly like she was family, Miley thought, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She walked over and hugged her father tightly.

"Thank you, daddy; I love you."

"Love you too, baby girl." He kissed her gently on the top of her head. He looked over at Lilly.

"What are you standin' way over there for, darlin'?" he asked with a smile. "My arms aren't gonna reach that far." Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Lilly walked into the kitchen and hugged Robbie Ray as well.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Robbie Ray asked.

"For being a wonderful dad… and raising a wonderful daughter," Lilly said, blinking back happy tears. Robbie Ray smiled and hugged her back.

"I try," he said lightly. "Now, let's get to eatin' before breakfast gets soggy from all these tears!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once breakfast was done, and the car was loaded, the girls said goodbye to Robbie Ray – promising to call regularly to let him know where they were and that they were okay – and finally headed out onto the open road.

Miley chose to drive first. As they hit the freeway, Lilly reached over and gently laid her hand on Miley's leg.

"Just the two of us now," she said happily.

"Yup," Miley agreed, carefully reaching down and taking Lilly's hand in her own. "Just you and me… and whatever's out there."

"Sounds good to me," Lilly replied, smiling. "How long til we get to San Francisco?"

"Umm… about six hours, I think," Miley replied thoughtfully. "We don't have to drive all the way there, though; we can stop anywhere you want to." Lilly smiled.

"Just drive, Stewart; I'll provide the entertainment." Miley was about to open her mouth to say something when she saw Lilly reach into the glove box for some cds.

"Oh, _that_ kind of entertainment!" she said, a bit louder than she had intended to. Lilly looked over at Miley, an amused expression on her face.

"What kind were you expecting?" she asked, eyes twinkling. Miley flushed and tried to swallow.

"Nothing we can do while driving," she muttered. Lilly laughed.

"You are _bad_, Miley Stewart!"

"Maybe," Miley smirked, "but you love me anyway."

"Got that right," Lilly replied, squeezing Miley's hand gently.

"So, you gonna play some tunes or not?" Miley asked with a grin.

"Comin' right up," Lilly answered. She freed her hand long enough to select a cd and slide it into the player, and turned the volume up. Her hand found Miley's again just as the opening words of 'Take It Easy' by The Eagles filled the car:

-----

_Well I'm runnin' down the road_

_Tryin' to loosen my load_

_I got seven women on my mind_

_Four that wanna own me_

_Two that wanna stone me_

_One says she's a friend of mine…_

_-----_

"Good song," Miley said, smiling.

-----

_Take it easy_

_Take it easy_

_Don't let the sound of your own wheels_

_Drive you crazy_

_-----_

"The only thing I let drive me crazy is you," Miley said with a grin, looking over at Lilly briefly.

"It's a good kind of crazy though," Lilly replied, bringing Miley's hand up to her lips for a gentle kiss.

"The best," Miley agreed.

-----

_Lighten up_

_While you still can_

_Don't even try to understand_

_Just find a place_

_To make your stand_

_Take it easy!_

_-----_

"Good advice," Lilly quipped. "Let's just… take it easy." She leaned back in her seat and stretched out her legs. Reaching over, she pressed the button to lower her window and let the rushing wind blow through her hair.

"Yup, definitely good advice," she sighed contentedly. Miley giggled.

"Glad you're enjoying yourself," she said with a grin.

"Just you and me, the open road and the wind in my face… what's not to enjoy?" Lilly asked with a wink.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little over six and a half hours later, Miley & Lilly found themselves driving over the Bay Bridge and into San Francisco.

"Miley, it looks so beautiful!" Lilly gushed, staring out at the sparkling waters of the bay. "Look, there's Alcatraz!"

"Alca-what?" Miley asked. Lilly laughed and looked over at her.

"Alcatraz," she repeated. "You know, The Rock? Where they locked up Al Capone?" Miley's clueless expression made Lilly laugh even more.

"What, didn't you pay _any _attention in history class?"

"Guess I was too busy staring at a certain beautiful blonde," Miley quipped. Lilly blushed.

"I'm more partial to brunettes myself," she said after a moment. "Especially with cute Southern accents…" Seeing the blush Miley was trying desperately to hide, Lilly couldn't help but giggle. She turned to look back out at the bay.

"So where should we go first?" she asked excitedly. "Maybe we could go shopping, or check out Alcatraz, or just get a boat and go out on the water…!"

"Relax, honey," Miley said with a grin. "First we need to find a hotel. Then we can do whatever you want."

"Are you tired, Miles? I know you've been driving a long time, we can rest first."

"That might be nice," Miley said thoughtfully, "As long as you promise not to burst if we don't start exploring the city right away." She smirked.

"Do I get to sleep in your arms?" Lilly asked, eyes sparkling. Miley reached out and took Lilly's hand in her own.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she said softly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not long after, Miley & Lilly found themselves checking into a nice small motel near the waterfront.

"I know it's not much," Miley said apologetically.

"Stop it," Lilly said, putting a gentle finger against Miley's lips. "We don't need to spend a lot of money. Besides, it has only thing I need anyway."

"What's that?" Miley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You," Lilly answered. She kissed Miley warmly. "Now, you go get some sleep and I'll call our parents."

"I thought you said you wanted to sleep in my arms?" Miley asked teasingly.

"Guess you'll just have to wait for me then," Lilly replied with a smile. She sat down on the bed in their room, Miley lying beside her, and reached for the phone. She dialed in Miley's home phone number, waited for the ring, and a few moments later heard Robbie Ray pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. Stewart!" Lilly greeted him.

"Hey, Lilly; how are you?" Robbie Ray answered happily. "You and Miley make it to the city all right?"

"Yup," Lilly answered happily. "All checked in to our motel room and everything. Miley's just resting a bit; driving all the way here wore her out." She felt Miley give her a playful shove.

"All right, darlin'," Robbie Ray said with a laugh. "Well, if you'll just give me the number when I can contact you, I'll let you two get some sleep."

"W-well, I never said _I_ was tired…" Lilly stammered.

"Lilly, I know you better than that," Robbie Ray chuckled. "You don't ever have to be ashamed of loving my little girl, understand?" Lilly felt herself blush.

"Thanks, Mr. Stewart," she said with a small smile. Eager to avoid embarrassing herself any more, she quickly gave him the phone number for the motel and their room number, as he'd asked.

"Well, you two have fun," Robbie Ray said finally. "Tell Miley her daddy sends his love."

"I will," Lilly replied. "Bye, Mr. Stewart." She hung up the phone and turned back to Miley.

"Did I ever tell you how awesome your dad is?" she asked Miley with a grin.

"Maybe once or twice," Miley joked. "He is pretty cool though, most of the time. Now, enough about my daddy… come here."

"Miles, I still need to call my mom…" Lilly started to argue. Seeing the look on Miley's face though, Lilly knew it was hopeless: the loving adoration in Miley's eyes, even dimmed by her exhaustion, made Lilly's heart skip a beat. Grinning, she did as she was told and laid down beside Miley, wrapping her arms lovingly around her girlfriend.

"Much better," Miley said happily.

"Glad I could help," Lilly quipped. She kissed Miley gently on the cheek. "Now get some sleep, Miles. I'll be right here."

"Promise?" Miley asked with a sleepy smile.

"Always and forever," Lilly said quietly. "I'll always be right here with you, Miley."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a nice long nap, the girls changed and cleaned up and headed out into the city. Lilly was hungry, so their first stop was going to have to be a restaurant of some sort.

"What would like to eat?" Miley asked her.

"Oh, I like just about anything Miles, you know that." She made a face. "Except liver… yuck!" Miley giggled.

"I'm with you on that one, Lils. Tell you what – since we're in a city famous for its seafood, how about we try some?"

"Sounds good to me," Lilly said, trying unsuccessfully to hide the growling of her stomach. Rather than drive there themselves – they had both had enough of driving for one day - they caught a taxi to Fisherman's Wharf.

"We're looking to try some great San Francisco seafood," Miley told the driver. "Where would be a good place to go on the Wharf?" The driver, a slight, older-looking man, gave a friendly smile.

"Just leave it to me," he said. A few minutes later, they pulled up outside a huge building with a gleaming white tower on one side. Friendly lights shone out through the large paneled windows that covered most of the walls.

"Wow," Lilly whispered.

"Try the chowder in a sourdough bread bowl," the taxi driver said in a friendly voice. "You won't be disappointed."

"Thanks!" Miley replied, handing him his fare. He drove away and she and Miley walked up to the building hand in hand.

"Boudin Sourdough," Miley read from the side of the large white tower. "Is that French?"

"Forget the French, can you smell that Miles?" Lilly gasped.

"Can I?" Miley quipped. The mouth-watering aroma of fresh-baked bread filled the air. "I think we better go find some before I start drooling!" Together, they walked over to the front of the building and entered where they saw a sign that red 'Bistro Boudin'. They asked for and were given a nice table with a view of the bay, and sat down to wait for a waitress to come and take their order.

"Having fun yet, Lils?" Miley asked.

"Sure… I'm with you, aren't I?" Lilly replied with a smile. "I'll be even happier when I finally get something to eat though!" As if on cue, her stomach started to growl again.

"Try to control the beast a little longer," Miley said with a laugh. "Here comes our waitress." They both ordered the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, like the taxi driver had suggested, and a few minutes later were rewarded with two savory, steaming bowls of goodness. Miley gently took her first taste, blowing on the spoonful to cool it down some.

"Oh, wow," she managed. "Lilly, this is great! Have you tried yours yet?" She looked up to see Lilly already digging into her meal with relish.

_Never underestimate the appetite of Lillian Truscott_, she thought with a laugh. _Especially when she's _really _hungry!_

"You gonna breath sometime soon?" Miley teased her.

"Sorry," Lilly managed, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I'm hungry, and it's _good_!"

"Really good," Miley agreed. "That taxi driver sure knew what he was talkin' about."

"No kidding; maybe we should have asked where the best shopping around here is," Lilly quipped. "Now, less talk and more eating!" Giggling at her girlfriend's voracious appetite, Miley went back to enjoying her own delicious lunch.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing their lunch and paying the tab, the girls headed back outside to continue exploring Fisherman's Wharf. They walked down the street, passing by other, smaller restaurants with long kitchen-style counters, where fresh crab and shrimp and other seafood from the bay were being prepared and sold.

"Wow," Lilly commented. "Be hard to go hungry around here, wouldn't it Miles?"

"Don't tell me you're still hungry!" Miley said with a laugh. Lilly leaned close to Miley.

"Not for food," she growled playfully into Miley's ear.

"I'm probably more than you can handle," Miley whispered back seductively.

"Ooh… is that a challenge, Miles?" Lilly responded. She gently nipped at Miley's earlobe.

"Lilly!" Miley gasped. "We're in public!" She was sure her face had to be bright red. "Oh, you are _so_ gonna get it when we get back to the motel!"

"Is that a promise?" Lilly teased, grinning ear to ear. They walked on, hand in hand, until they began to hear live music in the distance.

"Where's that coming from?" Lilly asked.

"Over there, I think" Miley said, pointing. Across the way, they could see a large group of buildings near the water; in front of the buildings, on a series of flagpoles, a group of blue and white flags waved in the breeze with the words 'Pier 39' emblazoned on them.

"C'mon," Lilly said, pulling Miley after her. "I wanna check this out… I sense shopping in our future!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lilly was right; Pier 39 promised _much_ shopping in the girls' future. After spending some time at a sports clothing store, where Lilly proudly bought herself a new baseball cap with the USC logo on it, they wandered down the pier, visiting all the interesting little shops and stores along the way.

At one point, Miley insisted they visit a jewelry store called 'Charms by the Bay'. She spent some time looking in all the display cases, then abruptly asked Lilly if she wouldn't mind waiting for her outside. Lilly opened her mouth to complain, but she saw the look in Miley's deep blue eyes, and ultimately did as she was asked. A few minutes later, Miley walked out of the store holding something behind her back.

"Watcha got there, Miles?" Lilly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Close your eyes," Miley instructed gently.

"O-kay…" Lilly replied uncertainly, closing her eyes. She felt Miley's arms around her for a moment, and then something slightly cold was slipped around her neck.

"Okay, you can open them now," Miley said, stepping back. Lilly did so, and looked down. She saw she was now wearing a small silver chain around her neck, with a small round charm dangling at the end. The image of two hearts joined was carved into it, along with the words 'I Am Yours'. Blinking back tears, she looked up at Miley.

"Oh, Miley! It's beautiful!" she sobbed. She threw her arms around Miley in a fierce hug, tears streaming down her face.

"So are you," Miley whispered softly to her, stroking her hair. "Now the whole world can see how I feel about you." Lilly looked up her, an overjoyed expression on her tear-stained face.

"I'll never take it off," she promised, wiping away her tears. Miley smiled, and wasn't at all surprised to feel herself beginning to cry as well.

"Now you've got me crying too," she laughed softly.

"Just one more thing we do together," Lilly said happily. She gently pulled back from their hug and grabbed Miley's hand.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go drown our tears in something yummy!" Miley laughed.

"Sounds good to me."

They soon found a small eatery called the Crepe Café, and decided to try one of their dessert crepes, which was delicious.

"Well, I can see the food in San Francisco definitely agrees with you," Miley quipped. "Try not to overdo it, okay?" she asked with a smile.

"Don't worry," Lilly replied. "I'll work it off later." She wagged her eyebrows suggestively. Miley nearly choked on the bite of crepe she was eating.

"Warn me before you do that, will ya!" she gasped, laughing. Lilly lowered her head onto Miley's shoulder, laughing so hard her entire body shook. Miley gave her a playful shove.

"That's two I owe you," she whispered to the woman she loved. After Lilly recovered, they finished their snack and continued walking down the pier.

"What are all those people gathered over there for?" Lilly asked as they approached the end of the pier.

"Wait, Lils… do you hear that?" Miley asked. It sounded a lot like barking. Grinning, she gently began to pull Lilly in the direction of the gathering crowd, her ears already giving her a good idea of what they were going to see. Sure enough, as they reached the railing surrounding the edge of the pier, they saw dozens of sea lions reclining on the docks below, while the people surrounding them watched, pointed and took pictures.

"I've never seen so many seals in my life!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Sea lions, actually," a young woman standing nearby said. Miley & Lilly turned to look at her. She wore a volunteer badge on her dark grey jacket.

"What's the difference?" Lilly asked.

"True seals can't walk on land like sea lions can; they don't bark like them, either," the young woman replied.

"Oh," Lilly said thoughtfully.

"They sure must like it here," Miley said, looking out at the playful sea lions. The young woman smiled.

"They sure do," she responded cheerfully. "They can find plenty of food around here, and the protected environment of the marina here keeps them safe from predators."

"I think they like to sunbathe too," Lilly said with a giggle.

"Even sea lions gotta work on their tans, Lils," Miley said with a grin. They stood and watched the sea lions for a while, silently enjoying each other's company and the antics of the playful animals below them. Suddenly, Miley began to tug urgently on Lilly's shirt.

"What is it, Miles?"

"I see something I want to do with you… c'mon!"

"You sure it's something we can do in public?" Lilly joked. Miley laughed.

"Behave, Truscott," she whispered. "Besides, _that's_ what I want to do with you." She pointed to a sparkling carousel occupying the far end of the pier.

"You wanna ride a merry-go-round?" Lilly asked doubtfully.

"Trust me," Miley replied softly. She paid for their rides and found a bench made to look like a swan where they could sit together. As the carousel started to move, Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly and pulled her close, gently nuzzling her cheek.

"Now how do you feel about riding a merry-go-round with me?" Miley asked softly. Lilly smiled.

"You should've asked sooner," she said lightly. Miley chuckled and leaned down to kiss Lilly gently on the lips.

"I love you, Lilly-bear." Lilly grimaced slightly at Miley using her mother's old childhood nickname for her, but the way Miley said it sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

_Okay, maybe it's not such a bad nickname after all… as long as Miley's the only one who calls me that!_ She snuggled against Miley contentedly.

"I love you too, Miley."


	3. Roadblocks

CHAPTER THREE

ROADBLOCKS

The rest of the day passed quickly, but Miley and Lilly didn't seem to mind. After all, what could the night bring but another chance to sleep in each other's arms?

Returning to their motel, they took turns showering and then settled down for the night, lying in bed in the quiet darkness.

"Awesome day, Miles," Lilly whispered.

"Yeah it was," Miley agreed softly. "Best vacation I've ever had." Lilly giggled.

"It's only been one day!" she laughed.

"Still the best," Miley replied, snuggling against Lilly. "Just like you." Lilly blushed, thankful Miley couldn't see it in the darkness.

"I never thought I could be this happy," Lilly managed, running her fingers along Miley's arm. "I love you so much, Miley."

"I love you too, Lilly… with all my heart." She leaned forward and kissed Lilly warmly. Lilly returned the kiss with all the love and passion she felt burning within her, and soon all words between the two were lost.

* * *

"So, what do you want to do today Lilly-bear?" Miley asked the next morning, as the two of them were getting dressed.

"I dunno," Lilly answered. She smiled shyly. "What made you start calling me that, anyway?" Miley smiled and shrugged.

"Cause you're so cute and cuddly?" she asked. Lilly laughed.

"O-kay… so what do I get to call you, Miles?"

"What?"

"If I get a cutesy nickname, so do you, Miss Stewart!" Lilly said mock-seriously. Miley arched an eyebrow.

"What nickname?" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't know," Lilly admitted, "but I'll think of one. Just give me time!" Miley giggled.

"Sure, Lilly," she laughed. She finished getting dressed and started to brush her hair, staring into the small bathroom mirror. Lilly walked over to their suitcase and began pulling her shoes on. As she did so, she noticed a tourist guidebook about the city sitting on the small table near the bed.

_What the heck? Maybe it'll give me some ideas…_

Lilly carefully picked up the book and sat down on the bed as she began to flip through it. After only a few moments, she found something that put a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Miles!" Lilly called out to her.

"Yeah, Lils?" Miley responded.

"I know what I want to do today," she said, still grinning.

"What's that?" Miley asked.

"It's gonna be a surprise," Lilly replied sweetly. Miley walked out of the bathroom, an amused expression on her face.

"Oh, really?" she asked. Lilly nodded enthusiastically.

"You surprised me yesterday, now it's my turn," Lilly said. She tossed the guidebook aside and walked over to Miley, putting her arms around her.

"Trust me," she said softly, looking into Miley's eyes.

"With my life," Miley whispered back. Fighting not to cry, Lilly kissed Miley gently on the lips and pulled her into a hug.

* * *

Sometime later, after they had both eaten breakfast, Lilly drove herself and Miley to a small grocery store not far from their motel. Miley looked over at Lilly, eyes sparkling.

"This is your surprise?" she asked. "You want more food?" Lilly laughed.

"No, silly; you'll just have to wait and see. Come on." In the store, Lilly bought a small ice chest and enough ice to fill it. Then, at the deli counter, she bought sandwiches, small salads and drinks to make a nice lunch for the two of them. She put them in the ice chest to stay cool while she drove them to their ultimate destination.

Eventually, they arrived, and Miley watched as Lilly drove them into a huge, beautiful park.

"Welcome to Golden Gate Park, Miles," Lilly said with a grin.

"How'd you know about this place?" Miley asked, not trusting herself to say anything else.

"I read about it in that tour book in our room," Lilly admitted. "I thought we could have a nice romantic picnic here."

"Awww, Lilly!" Miley waited until Lilly parked the car and then enveloped her in a huge hug.

"I've got the sweetest girlfriend in the world," she said softly, holding Lilly to her. Lilly smiled.

"Let's just call it a two-way tie, 'kay?" she managed.

"Deal," Miley replied happily, gently kissing Lilly on the cheek.

"Since it's a little early for lunch yet, I thought of something else we could do first," Lilly announced.

"Dare I ask?" Miley joked. Lilly laughed.

"Come on," she said. She grabbed Miley's hand. "Trust me, you'll like it." They got out of the car and walked hand-in-hand through the park until they came to a set of stone steps leading up to a large wooden gate. An elegant Japanese pagoda flowed out from the top of the gate.

"What is this place, Lils?" Miley asked.

"It's called the Japanese Tea Garden," Lilly explained. "I read about it in the tour book too. It's supposed to be really beautiful inside." Miley looked over at her girlfriend and felt her heart swell.

_Who knew Lilly could be so romantic? Not that I'm complaining!_

"Lead on," she said, gently squeezing Lilly's hand. Lilly squeezed her hand in return, and they walked through the gate together. The sight that greeted them on the other side of the gate took the breath away from both of them.

"Sweet niblets…" Miley breathed.

"Ditto…" Lilly managed. A large, clear pond stretched out before them. They could see small pathways running along it, lined with beautifully maintained trees, shrubs and flowers. In the distance, atop a small hill, was a sparkling Japanese temple of some sort. A large stone lantern stood near a pathway on their right, and they could see stepping stones leading across the pond at a certain point, leading to yet another path.

"Lilly…" Miley gasped. "It's incredible!"

"Did I do good, or what?" Lilly joked. Miley nudged her playfully.

"Come on," she said dreamily. "I wanna walk through this beautiful place with the woman I love." Lilly blushed.

"Now how could any woman resist that?" she said with a small smile. Hands joined, Miley & Lilly walked together through the Japanese Tea Garden, marveling at the beauty around them… and beside them.

"I wish I knew what some of these plants were called," Miley said at one point. "They're so pretty!"

"Yeah they are," Lilly agreed. She pointed at a beautiful pink and yellow flower. "I think I'll call that one… a Miley rose!" Miley giggled.

"Thanks, Lils… I think."

"Well, it's special and beautiful, just like you," Lilly said, sounding a little upset.

"Aww, I'm sorry Lilly," Miley said, reaching over to brush a dangling hair away from Lilly's face. "You… you really think that about me?" Lilly swallowed.

"Of course I do," she said quietly. "I love you." Resting a finger under Lilly's chin, Miley gently lifted her girlfriend's face towards her own.

"I love you too," she whispered to the woman who held her heart. She kissed Lilly softly. "Forgive me?" Lilly blushed.

"You had me at 'I love you'," she said with a shy smile. Miley smiled back and gently kissed her again.

"Maybe I can find a flower here to name after you," Miley said thoughtfully.

"Uh, Miles… there kinda already is one. Y'know, a lilly?"

"Oh, right," Miley replied, sounding disappointed. "Well, maybe I can name another one after you!" Lilly couldn't help giggling.

"Sure, Miles… anything you want."

* * *

After their tour of the Japanese Tea Garden, Miley & Lilly returned to the car to get their food. They found a nice spot under a towering oak tree and spread out a blanket for their picnic lunch.

"Thanks for coming up with this, Lilly," Miley said earnestly. "It's nice to be able to just relax and spend some time together."

"That was the idea," Lilly said with a smile. She set out their food and then leaned back against the tree to relax. Miley followed suit and snuggled up to Lilly.

"Not hungry?" Miley asked her.

"Oh, I'll eat in a moment," Lilly replied with a smile. "Just felt like relaxing a bit with you first."

"Works for me," Miley said softly. She leaned close to Lilly and kissed her.

"Disgusting!" an angry voice spat. Startled, Miley looked up to see an old woman, bent and leaning over a cane, staring at her & Lilly.

"You have a problem, lady?" Lilly retorted.

"You two," the old woman replied sharply. "Don't you know what you're doing is wrong?!"

"Excuse me?" Miley replied, a cold feeling beginning to wash over her.

"You heard me," the old woman continued. "You should be with two nice young men, not committing this… this sin!"

"Look," Lilly interrupted her, her voice rising. "I'm sorry you've got nothing better to do than try to ruin other people's lives, but Miley and I love each other, and we'll thank you to leave us alone! Right, Miles?" She turned to look at her girlfriend. Miley swallowed and turned away.

"Just go away," she said softly.

"Seems like your little girlfriend isn't so sure," the old lady said with a cold smile.

"Miley?" Lilly asked weakly.

"Maybe she's just a little more concerned about eternal damnation than you are, you little hussy!" the old woman hissed angrily at Lilly. Lilly got to her feet and took an angry step towards the woman, fire in her eyes.

"I don't know who you think you are lady, but you have no right to attack people like this! If you think for one moment that God is on the side of people like you, you've got another thing coming! The God I believe in loves all His children, and wants them to be happy! He would never preach such narrow-minded hate!" The old woman looked like she was going to say something else, but in the end she just shook her head

"Young people," she muttered as she started walking away. "Won't listen to anything…" Once she was gone, Lilly whirled to face Miley.

"Why did you do that, Miley?" Lilly asked her, struggling to rein in her temper.

"Do what?" Miley asked.

"Let that old hag say those things about us! Why did you just… just leave me like that?"

"Lilly…" Miley began quietly. Lilly would have none of it, though.

"Tell me the truth, Miles. I think I deserve that much." Miley's shoulders slumped.

"I… I didn't know what to say, Lils. No one's ever acted that way about us before. She was actually _angry_ at us."

"She was a loon," Lilly retorted.

"What if… what if there are other people who treat us like that, Lilly?" Miley asked, swallowing. "Are people gonna hate us just for loving each other?"

"I guess some narrow-minded people might have problems with our relationship," Lilly answered honestly. "Personally, I really don't care. I love you." When Miley didn't respond in kind, Lilly felt her blood run cold.

"Are you gonna let people like that bother you, Miles?" she asked quietly. "Are you gonna let what other people think get in the way of what we have together?"

"Lilly, please…" Miley could feel herself starting to shiver.

"Am I… Am I that unimportant to you, Miley? You really care more about what other people think than you do about me?"

"Lilly, no!" Miley cried. Tears began to run down her cheeks. She stood and walked over to Lilly, reaching out to her, but Lilly backed away.

"Please, Lilly! You don't understand!" Miley practically sobbed.

"Understand what, Miley?" Lilly replied, her voice rising. "That you're suddenly embarrassed of me? Of us?"

"I'm not!" Miley pleaded. "I swear! It's just…!"

"It's just what, Miley?!" Lilly shouted, blinking back tears of her own.

"I'm scared!" Miley wailed. "W-what if everyone is like that old lady, Lilly? What if they all treat us like that?!" Miley remembered the conversation she'd had with her father before they left. She'd meant what she'd said then, but she hadn't been prepared for the open hatred and bigotry the old lady had unleashed on them. The sheer vehemence of it frightened Miley more than she had ever expected it would. She wasn't sure she could take such a reaction again.

"I know you're scared, Miley," Lilly replied, trying to soften her tone, "but what kind of relationship are we gonna have if we have to live in fear of people disapproving of us?" Miley didn't answer for a long time. When she finally did, her voice sounded quiet and defeated.

"I'm sorry, Lilly…" she whispered. "I… I don't think I can do this." Choking back a sob, Lilly turned away.

"I'm not very hungry anymore," she said quietly. "I think I'd like to go back to the motel now." Without another word, Lilly turned and walked away.

* * *

The ride back to the motel was tense and quiet. Lilly wouldn't even look at Miley, and the brunette felt her heart breaking. A little while ago they had been walking hand in hand, basking in their love for each other. Now they were acting almost like strangers. How had it come to this?

_I'm so sorry, Lilly…I love you! Please say something!_

"Miley?" Lilly asked softly.

"I'm here, Lils," Miley replied, trying to stay calm.

"I've changed my mind," Lilly said quietly, still not looking at Miley. Hope flared in Miley's chest.

"Really?" she managed.

"Yeah," Lilly replied, her voice flat. "I don't want to go back to the motel; I want to go home." The fledgling hope inside her died a quick, ugly death, as Miley felt her heart plummet.

"H-home?" she stammered. Lilly nodded, glad Miley couldn't see her tear-stained face.

"I can't do this with you anymore, Miley. It hurts too much. Please... just drive me home." With those words, Miley felt her world come crashing down.

* * *

Twenty four hours later, they began the long, slow, sad ride home. Miley and Lilly spoke very little to one another, and then only when absolutely necessary. Miley had tried repeatedly to try to talk with Lilly the night before, but Lilly had turned away her every offer. Never in her life had Miley felt so utterly defeated.

_How? How did everything so good… get so bad, so fast?_ She thought sadly to herself.

Not quite half the way home, things got even worse. It stared with a hollow rattling sound somewhere in the engine. It steadily grew louder, until finally, with a staccato pop, smoke began to pour from under the hood. Miley guided the dying car over to the side of the road with a dejected groan.

"Terrific," she muttered. "What else can go wrong?"

"Let's get out and look at it," Lilly said distantly. Miley nodded and stepped wearily out of the car.

_Like this wasn't painful enough…_

"Any idea what's wrong?" she asked Lilly, who had already raised the hood. Clouds of smoke poured from the engine, and she dropped back, coughing and gagging.

"I'd have to be able to see it first!" Lilly snapped, still coughing.

"Wonderful," Miley growled. She reached for her cell phone and flipped it open.

"Oh, come on!" she shouted in disbelief.

"What is it?" Lilly asked.

"No service," Miley replied. "Can you check yours?" Lilly nodded and reached for her own phone. She looked at it briefly and shook her head.

"Nope," she said flatly. "I can't get any service either." Miley rubbed her temples, feeling a throbbing headache coming on.

"I don't suppose you noticed if we passed a gas station recently?" she asked quietly.

"I think so… a few miles back," Lilly replied. "Why?"

"We're gonna have to walk back to it," Miley replied, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're not serious!" Lilly gaped.

"We don't have a choice, Lilly," Miley retorted. "The car is obviously not going anywhere. We can't just sit here and hope someone comes by. We've gotta try and get some help." Lilly nodded wearily.

"All right," she muttered. "I guess we don't have a choice." She noticed Miley rubbing her temples again.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Miley looked up at her.

"I think that's the first nice thing you've said to me all day," she said sadly.

"I do still care about you, you know." Miley tried to hide her smile.

"Do you still hate me?" she asked quietly. Lilly felt like she'd been slapped.

"_Miley_!" she gasped out. "I could _never_ hate you! Don't you understand that?"

"I'm sorry," Miley said guiltily. "It's just…"

"Don't okay? Please… just don't." Miley lowered her head.

"I love you," she whispered. Lilly was silent for a long moment.

"I know," she said carefully. "Just… not enough, huh?" Miley frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"I really don't want to do this again, Miles…"

"Damnit, Lilly, stop shutting me out!" Lilly blinked. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard Miley swear.

"You're the one who's afraid," Lilly replied, suddenly finding it difficult to look at Miley again. She felt guilty as soon as the words were out her mouth. Miley blinked back tears.

"Yes, I'm afraid!" she snapped, "but I'm more afraid of losing _you_!"

"Miley…"

"What, Lily? Don't you know this is killing me?! Don't you know it's tearing me apart to think I'm losing you?!" She began to sob uncontrollably. Against her will, Lilly felt her bottom lip begin to tremble.

"It scares me too, Miley!" she cried out. "It scares me so much it hurts! Do you know how many times I thought I finally found someone who could love me, only to have them tear my heart out?! Matt, Lucas… I couldn't stand the thought of that happening with you too!!" Tears fell freely from Lilly's reddened eyes, soaking her cheeks. Seeing Lilly's anguish, Miley felt her heart breaking all over again.

"I would _never_ hurt you, Lilly," Miley managed. "I love you! I love you so much it hurts!" She took a step towards Lilly, and when she saw the woman she loved wasn't shrinking from her, she took another, until they stood nearly face-to-face.

"I know I'm afraid," she said, struggling to control her emotions. "I've never had anyone make me feel like that old woman did. She scared me, okay? She made me wonder if the whole world was going to end up attacking us, just because we love each other." With a trembling hand, she reached out to touch Lilly.

"I don't know what I'd do… if I had to deal with the whole world hating us. But you know what? It'd be nothing compared to how I'd feel if lost you. I love you, Lilly… so much. You're my heart… my soul… damnit, Lilly, you're my whole _world_!!" The last words took what little strength Miley had left, and she sagged forward into Lilly's arms. For a brief moment, Lilly just stood there, stunned by Miley's words and the pounding of her own heart. Then, instinctively, her arms wrapped themselves around Miley and pulled her into a fierce hug.

"Oh, god! M-Miley!" Sobbing, she buried her face in Miley's shoulder. "I love you too, s-so much… p-please don't leave me…"

"Never…" Miley whispered back. "I swear I'll never leave you, Lilly. Not ever." She gently stroked Lilly's hair. Lilly looked up at her then, smiling through her tears. To Miley, it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" she said quietly. Smiling, she leaned in and kissed Lilly, pulling them together in a passionate embrace. The world around them slipped away, and soon all that remained for Miley and Lilly was each other, and the love that burned fiercely between them.


	4. From The Heart

CHAPTER FOUR

FROM THE HEART

Miley and Lilly stood there, holding each other, for a long time afterward. Lilly rested her head on Miley's shoulder, gently running her hands through Miley's long chestnut hair. She smiled, content to be in the arms of the woman she loved, enjoying the warmth of her embrace and the familiar scent of her perfume.

"I love you," she whispered

"I love you, too," Miley whispered back, "Very much."

"Forgive me?" Lilly asked quietly. Miley smiled sadly.

"I think I'm the one who should be asking that," she said. Lilly fought the urge to giggle. She pulled away from Miley's embrace just enough so they could look each other in the face.

"That's enough of that," she said simply. "Let's just forgive each other and promise never to fight like that again."

"Sounds good to me," Miley replied happily. "How about we seal it with a kiss?" she asked in a teasing voice. Lilly didn't answer; instead, she grabbed Miley and pulled her into a searing kiss. They remained entwined, lips and souls joined, for many long moments. Finally, air became a pressing need, and they were forced to part.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Lilly asked softly.

"I think you just did," Miley said with a grin. She began to gently stroke Lilly's cheek.

"Now, I could do this all day, but it's not gonna get us back on the road," she continued. Lilly nodded.

"I know... but there's always later." Lilly waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Miley swallowed.

_She's gonna be the death of me yet,_ Miley thought to herself, _but what a way to go!_

"Come on." She took Lilly's hand in her own. "The sooner we start, the sooner we get there."

"All right, all right," Lilly playfully grumbled. Hand in hand, they started to walk. Fortunately, where they had broken down didn't appear to be too remote. It was still fairly early in the morning, and sun wasn't yet very hot. It wouldn't take long for it to get that way, however.

"Where are we, anyway?" Lilly asked.

"Somewhere near Bakersfield, I think," Miley replied thoughtfully. "I honestly don't remember what the last road sign we passed said. I was kind of… distracted."

"I'm sorry," Lilly replied softly.

"Stop," Miley said firmly. She smiled. "What's done is done; we don't need to talk about it anymore." She squeezed Lilly's hand.

"Okay," Lilly said happily. She paused a moment to take in their new surroundings. They were walking down a narrow paved road. Large, rolling green fields ran to the horizon on either side of the road. A shallow ditch ran between the road and the fields, providing drainage for irrigation.

"What do you think they're growing here?" Lilly asked. Miley looked out across the fields.

"Carrots, I think," she answered.

"Really?" Lilly responded excitedly. Miley smiled.

"Haven't you ever seen carrots growing before?" she asked.

"I'm from Malibu, Miley," Lilly retorted. "I get my carrots from a _store_." Miley laughed.

"Well, now you know where they come from."

"Must be a lot of work growing them," Lilly noted, taking in the sheer size of the large fields.

"Oh yeah," Miley replied. "Farmers work hard." Just up ahead, as the road began to curve away, they spotted a young girl, sitting in dirt beside the road. She had short blonde hair and looked to be no more than ten or so years old. She was wearing a pair of blue overalls with a small pink jacket. Despite her young age, she appeared to be alone.

"What's a little girl doing out here all by herself?" Lilly wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Miley replied, frowning. "Maybe we'd better go see if she's all right." They carefully walked over to the where the young girl sat, staring at the ground and kicking at the dirt in front of her. Lilly got down on her knees in front of the girl and tried to talk to her.

"Hi, there!" she greeted the girl warmly. The girl didn't answer, or even bother to look up.

"Are you all alone out here?" she tried again.

"Not s'posed to talk to strangers," the girl replied quietly, still not looking up. Miley and Lilly shared a look. Miley shrugged.

"Well, she's got a point," Miley said. "We _are_ strangers, after all."

"All right, Lilly admitted. "Let's start over. My name's Lilly, and this is my friend Miley." She gestured to Miley.

"What's your name?" Lilly asked the girl. The girl finally at last looked up, a doubtful expression on her face. She stared at Lilly & Miley for a moment, and then returned her gaze to the ground.

"Emily," she said quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Emily," Lilly replied. "There – now that we've been introduced, we're not strangers anymore, right?" The girl smiled a little bit at that.

"I guess not," she said.

"Emily, are you out here all by yourself?" Miley asked, crouching beside Lilly. Emily nodded.

"Where are your parents?" Lilly pressed.

"At home," Emily answered after a moment.

"Do they know you're out here?" Miley cut in. Emily shook her head.

"No… an' I don't care," she said angrily.

"Why not?" Lilly asked gently. Emily looked up at her, and Lilly was startled to see there were tears in her eyes.

"They want me to move away," Emily said, her voice strangled. "They want me to leave my home, my school an' my best friend!"

"Your family wants to move away?"

"Yeah… all 'cause of my dad's stupid job." Emily tried to wipe her tears away, but more dripped down her cheek to take their place.

"It's not fair," she muttered crossly.

"Things like that rarely are," Lilly said sympathetically.

"I showed them though," Emily said, growing angry again. "I ran away from home… an' I'm not going back!" Lilly's eyes widened.

"Emily… don't you think your parents are worried about you?" Emily made a face.

"I don't care," she muttered. "They don't care what I want, why should I care about them?"

"They're your parents, Emily; they love you."

"If they love me so much, why are they making me leave?!" Emily shouted. She turned away, fighting back more tears. "I don't need 'em anyway… I can take care of myself." Lilly sighed.

_This isn't working…_

"Hang on a sec, Emily… I need to talk to my friend real quick." She quickly pulled Miley aside.

"Miles, what are we gonna do?" Lilly asked in a hushed voice. "We can't just leave her here!"

"I know, Lils," Miley replied, her voice equally quiet. "Maybe we can take her with us, see if someone at the gas station knows her parents."

"Maybe," Lilly said carefully. "Right now though, I think it's pretty obvious she doesn't want anything to do with her parents; and we can't just _force_ her to go back."

"No, that would only make things worse," Miley agreed. Lilly's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Why don't you try talking to her, Miles?" Miley looked at the woman she loved with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Why me?"

"You know some of what she's going through, Miles; you moved all the way across the country to pursue your dream of being Hannah Montana."

"Yeah, but that was something I _wanted_ to do. Poor Emily doesn't really have a choice."

"I know," Lilly responded. "Still, you can at least understand some of what she's feeling. Maybe, if you share with her how you dealt with it…" Miley couldn't resist a smile. Seeing Lilly's desire to help young Emily made her proud of the strong-willed and compassionate woman she'd fallen in love with.

"All right, Lils; I'll try," Miley agreed with a small smile. Together they walked back over to Emily, who was rummaging through the small backpack she had brought with her. She was looking frantically for something, but obviously wasn't finding it.

"It's gotta be in here!" she shouted in a panicked voice.

"What is it, Emily?" Lilly called to her. "What are you looking for?"

"My food!" Emily shouted back. "I _know_ I packed some food in here!"

"Take it easy, Emily; we'll get you some food. It'll be all right." She looked back at Lilly hopefully.

"Really?" she asked softly.

"I promise," Lilly replied, reaching out to carefully take Emily's hand. She gestured to Miley, who walked over sat down on the ground beside Emily.

"You know Emily, I had to move once," she said quietly.

"You did?' Emily asked in a doubtful voice. Miley nodded.

"Yup; I used to live in Tennessee, way on the other side of the country."

"Why did you have to move so far away?"

"Well, there was a great opportunity out here for my family and I," Miley said. "So we took a chance."

"Weren't you scared?" Emily asked.

"A little," Miley admitted. "It was a big change, and I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was gonna be, though; in fact, it turned out great." Miley could see a flicker of hope in the young girl's face, though she tried her best to hide it.

"See, when I moved out here to California, the best thing I could ever have imagined happened to me."

"What was that?" Emily asked hesitantly. Miley smiled and put her arm around Lilly.

"I met my best friend in the whole world," she said happily. Emily looked at Miley and Lilly for long moment, noticing the happy smiles on their faces and the way they held onto each other's hands. Then she felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes anew, and abruptly turned away.

"I'm gonna lose mine," she whispered bitterly. "Mom an' dad are tryin' to take me away from her!"

"What's her name?" Miley asked softly.

"Destiny," Emily said sadly.

"How long have you and Destiny been friends?" Lilly jumped in.

"Since we were in kindergarten together," Emily sniffled.

"You must be really good friends, to stay together for so long," Miley said understandingly. Emily nodded.

"Destiny's the best friend I've ever had. She's always been there for me, always helped me when I needed it…" Emily found herself suddenly unable to continue, her grief stealing away her voice.

"Please don't cry, Emily," Lilly said sadly, squeezing Emily's hand. "It'll be all right." She felt her heart breaking, seeing the young girl's sad tears.

"You know what, Emily?" Miley asked her gently. "There's nothing in this world stronger than love. If you and Destiny don't let it, a little distance can't destroy the friendship you have." Lilly nodded in agreement.

"It may not be easy," she added, "but you can find ways to stay in touch and still do things together. If she's really your best friend… she'll never leave you."

"You r-really think so?" Emily managed through her tears.

"Absolutely," Miley & Lilly promised her together. Emily managed a small smile, and felt her tears begin to lessen.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Both of you." Lilly looked at Miley, a radiant smile on her face.

"Now Emily, I think you should try talking to your parents again," Miley told her gently. "They love you, and I'm sure they must be very worried about you."

"I know," Emily said, nodding. "They'll probably be mad at me."

"Maybe," Miley admitted, "but they'll get over it." She stood up, and Lilly did so as well.

"Why don't you come with us, Emily? We'll find a phone and call your parents." Wiping away the last of her tears, Emily nodded and stood up as well.

"All right," she agreed, reaching down to pick up her backpack. "There's a gas station just down the road a little bit."

"You know the way?" Lilly asked her.

"Sure," Emily replied. "It's not far from my house."

"Good," Lilly said with a smile. "We can get you something to eat there, too."

* * *

They reached the gas station a couple of hours later, after a long but uneventful walk. Miley & Lilly bought some food for Emily, and something to drink as well, at a small diner near the station. Then they used a payphone to call her parents.

"What kind of car do your parents drive, Emily?" Lilly asked, noticing the younger girl looking anxiously out the window afterwards.

"My dad drives a red pickup truck," Emily replied distantly.

"Are you worried Emily?" Miley asked her.

"A little," Emily admitted nervously. "I know they're gonna be mad at me."

"It'll be all right, Emily," Lilly said comfortingly. "You'll see." A few minutes later, a dirty red pickup truck drove into the parking lot. A young blonde woman wearing glasses emerged from it, followed by a dark-haired man in a baseball cap. They rushed into the dinger together, and as soon as they saw Emily, they pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, thank god!" the woman, Emily's mother, cried in relief.

"You scared us half to death, Em!" her husband, Emily's father, added.

"I'm sorry mommy, daddy," Emily whispered through her tears.

"Why did you run away like that?!" her mother asked. Emily hung her head.

"I didn't want to move," she said, sounding ashamed. "I didn't want to leave Destiny."

"Oh, honey," her mother whispered soothingly. "Why didn't you say something to us? Running away isn't the answer."

"I didn't think you'd listen to me," Emily said simply. She pulled away from her mother's embrace to look at her parents "I didn't think you cared."

"Aw, Em," her father responded. "You know you can always talk to us. We could've worked something out." Emily nodded and wiped away her tears.

"I know that now, daddy. I'm really sorry… are you mad at me?"

"Right know we're just glad you're safe and sound, honey," her mother replied.

"I'm fine, mommy," Emily said. She looked at Miley & Lilly and smiled. "They helped me." Emily's mother regarded the two young women carefully.

"Thank you both, for looking after my daughter. It's nice to know there are still good people left in the world." Lilly smiled.

"We were glad to help," she replied. "I only hope, if we had a daughter, someone would do as much for her."

"We?" Emily's mother repeated. Then she noticed Lilly's hand entwined with Miley's.

"Oh!" She blushed, embarrassed. "Forgive me, I didn't realize…"

"It's all right," Miley interrupted. "We're not embarrassed about it or anything." She smiled.

"What are you talking about mom?" Emily asked, clearly confused by the conversation between her mother and her new friends.

"Nothing," her mother said quickly. "I was just thanking them for taking care of you. Anyway, I think it's we were heading home, Emily. We have a lot to talk about."

"Okay, mom," Emily replied. Impulsively, Emily ran over and hugged Lilly tightly.

"Thanks Lilly, for everything," Emily gushed. For the first time in perhaps her entire young life, Lilly found herself struck speechless by Emily's unexpected thank you.

"Y-you're welcome, Emily," Lilly managed. Grinning, Emily ran over to Miley and hugged her as well.

"Thank you too, Miley," she said. "I promise I'll think about what you said." Miley smiled warmly.

"Good," she responded, sounding very motherly. "Take care of yourself, Emily. Everything will work out, you'll see." Emily nodded, then quickly leaned in and whispered into Miley's ear.

"Take care of Lilly," she said quietly. She smiled, and Miley had the sudden feeling Emily knew much more about her & Lilly than she was letting on. Still smiling, Emily turned away and hurried back over to her waiting parents.

"Thank you both again, for helping our little girl," her father said earnestly. Miley & Lilly smiled and nodded, and the family turned around walked away. Little Emily waved goodbye as they stepped through the diner doors. Miley watched them get into their truck and drive away, a warm feeling spreading through her heart.

"You know what, Lilly?" she asked softly. "I think maybe, someday, you & I might make pretty good parents." She turned to look at Lilly, and was shocked to see her looking slightly pale. She hurried over to the woman she loved.

"Baby, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Lilly nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "Guess I just didn't expect Emily to hug me like that." Miley smiled knowingly.

"You really cared about her, didn't you?" she asked. Lilly fought back a blush.

"She was sweet," Lilly admitted. "Besides, it felt nice to be able to help her when she needed it."

"Yeah it did," Miley admitted with a grin.

"Besides," Lilly said mock-indignantly, "I'm not the one who's suddenly talking about having children!" Miley laughed.

"Okay, okay… guilty! I still think you'd make a great mother, though."

"So would you," Lilly replied softly. She gave Miley a small peck on the lips. "Now, how about we get our car fixed so we can continue our vacation?"

"You still want to?" Miley asked, trying to hide her excitement. Lilly grinned.

"Spend the summer with the woman I love?" she asked, tying to sound innocent. "Of course I do." Miley squealed excitedly and practically tackled Lilly, pulling her into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Lilly."

"I love you too, Miley… can I breathe now?"

* * *

A little while later, Miley & Lilly had their car towed to the gas station, where the mechanic on duty told them it needed a part they were going to have to order. Unfortunately, it was going to take 24 hours for the part to arrive, so they had no choice but to get a room at a small motel nearby and wait for the repairs to be made.

They decided not to call their parents however, neither one of them wanting to have to relive the arguments from before.

After having something to eat at the diner, they retired to their room for the night, both of them weary and tired. Miley allowed Lilly to take the first shower, and stretched out on the bed to watch some television in the meantime.

"This place _so_ needs cable," Miley grumbled, flipping aimlessly through the channels.

"Nothing good on?" Lilly called out. Miley jumped, startled. She looked over to see Lilly walking out of the bathroom wearing only a white towel.

"That's okay," she managed. "I found something else to watch." Lilly blushed.

"Stop that," she giggled.

"What can I say?" Miley quipped. "TV has nothing on you in a towel." She watched as Lilly walked over to her suitcase to find her pajamas, bending over just enough to give a tantalizing glimpse of damp flesh as her towel parted slightly at the waist.

_Sweet niblets…_ Miley thought to herself, suddenly finding it difficult to draw a breath. Her heart began to hammer against her ribs. Never before had she felt such a sudden, strangling rush of desire. She knew she loved Lilly, of course; more than she had ever loved anyone. Now, though, she suddenly knew she wanted Lilly… badly.

"Did you say something Miles?" Lilly asked, turning her head to look at Miley. Miley cursed inwardly, releazing she'd been speaking out loud without meaning to. Looking at Lilly, seeing the way her damp blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, her beautiful blue eyes filled with love and concern, Miley felt her heart throb with love.

"Lilly?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Miles?" Lilly replied. Miley forced herself to swallow.

"Come here," she breathed. Lilly looked up, slightly alarmed at how quiet Miley had suddenly become. She got up and walked over to the bed, still clutching the towel around her.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Miley didn't reply; instead, she pulled Lilly down on top of her and kissed her passionately.

"Now I know why they say to always watch out for the quiet ones," Lilly quipped, once she could speak again. She gasped when she felt Miley began to plant feather-soft kisses along her neck, her hands sliding gently up and along her barely-covered body. Then Miley gently cupped one of her breasts through the towel, and a jolt of desire shot through Lilly.

"Like that?" Miley teased her. Lilly tried to swallow.

"What do you think?" she gasped. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the sensation of Miley's fingers beginning to slip inside the towel caused her to jerk back instead.

"M-Miley?" she stammered, holding the towel in place around her. "Please don't take this wrong, but… where is this all coming from, all of the sudden?" Miley looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, Lils! I… I don't know what came over me…!" She was on the verge of becoming hysterical, but Lilly silenced with a gentle finger on her lips.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Honestly. You just took me _way_ by surprise!"

"Did you… did you like it?" Miley asked in a quiet voice.

"You have no idea," Lilly replied, blushing slightly. "I just didn't think… well, I didn't think you were ready for that kind of thing."

"I didn't think I was either," Miley answered honestly. She fixed Lilly's eyes with her own, willing her emotions to show through them. "I am now."

"You sure it's not just me walking around in a towel that's got you talking this way?" Lilly asked with a half-grin.

"I'm sure," Miley responded calmly. "I really want to share this with you, Lilly… I want to love you, like I've never loved anyone before." She swallowed.

"Like I'll never love anyone else." She reached up to slowly brush her fingers through Lilly's damp blonde hair.

"Please…" she whispered. "Let me make love to you." Lilly mouth had gone dry, and her heart was beating so fast she feared it might explode from her chest. Looking down at Miley on the bed in front of her, seeing the love and desire blazing in her eyes, she knew then and there she would never want anyone as much as she wanted Miley at that moment.

"Only if I get to make love to you, too," she whispered back. Miley smiled and nodded and reached out for Lilly, pulling the blonde into her arms once again. They kissed passionately, tongues warring with one another. Lilly moaned as she felt Miley dragging her nails along her body, pressing them together. They parted for a moment, and Miley looked up at her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you t… ooh!" Miley's lips fastened on her neck, nibbling at her pulse point, stole away the rest of Lilly's voice. Then she felt Miley's hands slowly pulling the towel off of her, and she surrendered herself to the wonderful fire of Miley's touch

**A/N: I've never written a love scene before, so I hope I did it justice. Let me know what you think. Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews; it's really flattering knowing people actually enjoy something I'm writing. Having my personal favorite author here, Kurrent, read & review my story was also a great feeling :)**


	5. On The Road Again

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Brilliant morning sunshine filtered in through the drawn blinds and splashed across the two young lovers lying asleep in each other's arms. The light of the sun fell across Miley's face, half buried in the long blonde hair of the woman she loved, causing her to groggily moan and stir. Slowly, carefully, Miley opened one eye, wincing at the bright light streaming in from the window.

"Morning already?" she murmured sleepily. She looked over at Lilly, wrapped protectively around her, and smiled. The feel of Lilly's bare skin on her own brought a fresh wave of desire rippling through Miley, and she gasped slightly. Memories of the night before filled her mind, and she leaned down slightly to kiss Lilly gently on the top of her head, being careful not to wake her.

_God, I love you Lilly… how did I ever get so lucky?_

Lying there, looking at Lilly, letting all the incredible things the beautiful blonde had come to mean to her fill her being, Miley knew she had never felt so happy and content - so complete - in her life. She wanted Lilly to know all that, to know how much she meant to her, but wondered how she could possibly put it all into words. Without realizing it, Miley began to sing softly, staring down at Lilly and gently running her hands through her long, silky hair.

"_If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her? Did I try in every way, to show her every day, that she's my only one? And if my time on Earth were though, and she must face this world without me, is the love I gave her in the past, gonna be enough to last, if tomorrow never comes?_

_'Cause I've lost loved ones in my life, who never knew how much I loved them. Now I live with the regret that my true feelings for them never were revealed. So I made a promise to myself, to say each day how much she means to me; and avoid that circumstance where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel…_"

"That was beautiful, Miles," Lilly said softly. She slowly opened her eyes to look up at Miley, smiling warmly. "I love it when you sing to me like that." Miley smiled as well, feeling a lump in her throat as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

"Anytime you want, Lils."

"I'll hold you to that," Lilly replied softly, sliding slightly on top of Miley to kiss her gently. They parted and Lilly took Miley's hand in her own, looking up into her sparkling sapphire eyes.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi back," Miley replied with a grin. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Eventually," Lilly responded warmly. "I was too busy having the best night of my life." She ran a finger down one of Miley's bare shoulders, causing the singer to shiver slightly.

"That makes two of us," Miley told her, reaching out to gently cup Lilly's cheek. "Last night was incredible, Lilly. _You_ were incredible. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you right now." Lilly blushed politely.

"Just right now?" Lilly teased.

"Forever," Miley answered, her voice husky with emotion. "I'll love you forever, Lilly Truscott." Lilly swallowed.

"Nowhere near as much as I'll love you, Miley Stewart; I never want to feel this way with anyone else."

"If I have anything to say about it, you won't," Miley promised.

"Ooh… feeling a little saucy today, Miss Stewart?" Lilly asked with a giggle.

"Maybe just a little," Miley laughed, winking. She let go of Lilly's hand and slid hers down through the sheets, caressing Lilly's warm body.

"Keep that up," Lilly managed, "and we aren't going to be leaving this motel room anytime soon."

"Is that a bad thing?" Miley asked, eyes twinkling.

"Nope," Lilly quipped. "Fine by me; c'mere you…" Arms wrapped around one another again, they kissed deeply, Miley's hand continuing its magic dance over Lilly's bare skin.

"Holy…" Lilly breathed.

"…wow," Miley finished for her, smiling as she lowered her head to nip at Lilly's exposed neck.

* * *

A long while later, the girls finally decided they were willing to let go of each other long enough to get up, and they showered and got dressed. Hand in hand, trying and failing to hide their love-struck grins, they walked over to the diner to grab a bite to eat.

"So where should we go from here?" Miley asked Lilly as they waited to order.

"I dunno, Miles," Lilly answered. "Who says we need a plan anyway? Let's just get out there and drive, and see what we can find!" Miley smiled.

"That sounds great, Lils; just you and me and the road." She reached out to take Lilly's hand. Lilly smiled at the gesture.

"Not worried what people are gonna think?" she asked. Miley shook her head.

"Nope. Not any more. They can think whatever they want. I love you and I'm never gonna let you go."

"I don't ever _want_ you to let me go, so that's convenient," Lilly quipped.

"Keep it up, Truscott… I know where you sleep," Miley said with a wink.

"Watcha gonna do about it?" Lilly replied, grinning.

"Use your imagination," Miley whispered playfully. Lilly started to turn a polite shade of pink.

"Trust me, you _don't_ want me to do that," she said teasingly. Subconsciously, Miley's thoughts began to wander in just that direction, and she had to hurriedly shake herself back to reality before while she was still able, clearing her throat audibly. Lilly laughed. Just then the waitress arrived at their table to take their orders.

"What can I get you ladies?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'll have the Denver omelet," Lilly replied, "and the biggest cup of coffee you've got."

"Need something to keep you awake, Lils?" Miley asked with a grin.

"Not my fault something kept me up all night," Lilly replied mischievously. Completely oblivious to the meaning behind the exchange, the waitress turned to Miley.

"What about you, honey?"

"Oh! Um… I guess I'll just have the French toast," Miley responded. She looked over at Lilly.

"I happen to like things that taste sweet," she said in a low voice. Lilly made an embarrassed choking sound, gasping for breath. Miley couldn't help but laugh.

"I think we're even now," she said with a grin.

"Anything to drink with that?" the waitress asked.

"Just a glass of milk," Miley replied, still not taking her eyes off Lilly.

"All right," the waitress said, writing the last of their order on her pad. "Be back with your drinks in a bit, girls." She walked away, not having the slightest clue what she'd really just heard.

"You are so _bad_," Lilly giggled.

"Maybe," Miley admitted with a smile. "Guess I just can't help myself when I'm around you." She lifted Lilly's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss.

* * *

After breakfast, Miley & Lilly headed back over to the gas station, where they learned their car was fully repaired and ready to go. Miley settled their bill, and after a quick stop back at the motel to gather their things and check out, they were back out on the road once again.

"You know," Lilly said thoughtfully, "that little motel is now a really special place for us." Miley smiled.

"Sure is," she replied softly. "I'm sorry our… first time together… couldn't have been more special." Lilly reached out to take Miley's hand.

"It _was_ special," Lilly insisted. "It was special because I was with the woman I love more than life itself, who chose me, out of all the people in the world, to share her love with."

"No fair trying to make me cry while I'm driving," Miley said mock-seriously. She squeezed Lilly's hand.

"I love you, Lilly… and I don't ever want to stop loving you."

"I love you too, Miley… and I'll always be yours to love." Miley looked over at Lilly, a radiant smile on her face and tears shining in her eyes. Lilly brought Miley's hand up to her cheek and hugged it gently.

"All right my love," Lilly said contentedly. "Pick a direction and drive us there." Miley grinned.

"Your wish is my command…"

* * *

They drove on for some time, simply enjoying each other's company with no particular destination in mind. At one point, however, a small road sign caught Miley's attention, and on a whim she decided to follow it.

"Where are you taking us, Miles?" Lilly asked.

"Just got an idea," Miley replied, "Sounded like it might be a nice place to visit." A short while later, Lilly watched as they slowly drove into what appeared to be a small Danish town.

"What the heck?" Lilly gasped. "Miley, there are windmills here!" Miley laughed.

"It's called Solvang, Lils. I'd heard about it before, but never had a chance to come here. Now I get to share it with you." She smiled.

"Did you happen to hear if there's anything fun to do here?" Lilly asked jokingly, as Miley parked their car.

"Well, there's supposed to be some awesome Danish bakeries here," Miley responded, grinning. "Will that do?"

"Definitely a good start," Lilly said appreciatively. "Throw in some shopping on top of that, and we're in business!" Miley giggled.

"Whatever you say, Lils." They stepped out of the car, locked the doors behind them, and began their curious exploration of the small town of Solvang. They walked hand-in-hand down the main street, peering at the different shops and stores.

"Let's check this place out," Lilly said, gesturing at a sign that read 'Capricorn Antiques & Collectables'.

"Since when do you like antiques?" Miley asked.

"Since now," Lilly quipped. "C'mon, Stewart!" She practically dragged Miley inside the small shop. Inside, they found everything from antique furniture and dishes, to old toys and dolls. In one display case, Lilly even found a glittering selection of antique jewelry.

"Hey Miles, come look at this," Lilly called out. Miley walked over to see what her girlfriend was pointing out. In the case was a simple silver bracelet with a gem of brilliant blue turquoise in the center of it.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Lilly breathed. Miley nodded.

"It really is," Miley agreed. She looked over at her girlfriend. Lilly was staring intently at the bracelet, looking truly entranced by it.

"Can I look at it for a moment?" she asked the woman behind the counter. The woman nodded and reached into the display case, picking up the bracelet and holding it out for Lilly to see.

"So pretty…" She ran a finger gently along the shining curve of the bracelet.

"Whoa!" Lilly jerked her finger back suddenly.

"Lilly, you okay?!" Miley was at her side in an instant.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lilly responded. "It was just really _cold_!"

"Well, maybe they have the AC on in here," Miley suggested.

"Maybe," Lilly said doubtfully. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna buy it!" Miley smiled.

"Go for it, Lils; I can tell you really like it." Lilly nodded.

"Maybe it'll go with one of my Lola outfits!" she said with a laugh. She reached into her purse to find her wallet.

* * *

A little while later, Miley & Lilly were having their pictures taken beside a fountain made to look like the famous statue of the Little Mermaid. Lilly proudly wore her new bracelet.

"You ever gonna get tired of showing that thing off?" Miley teased her.

"Nope," Lilly said with a grin.

_"It's beautiful!"_

"Huh? Did you say something Miles?" Miley looked at her, confused.

"No, sure didn't; why?"

"I thought I heard someone say something is all," Lilly replied. The street around the fountain was crowded with people, but no one was paying her or Miley even the slightest bit of attention.

_"Well, it's all yours… I want you to have it."_

"Who's saying that?!" Lilly snapped. Miley looked at her, alarmed..

"Lils? Are you all right?" Lilly grimaced and began to run her temples.

"I think I'm going nuts… other than that, I'm swell!" she muttered,

"Okay Lils, now you're starting to scare me…"

"I'll be fine, really. Maybe I just need something to eat."

"Okay," Miley replied, letting her concern show in her voice. "There's a bakery across the street; we can get you something there." Lilly nodded. As they walked across the street to the bakery, Lilly took a deep breath, trying to dispel the voices she thought she'd heard.

_I probably just heard someone as they walked by,_ she told herself. _Yeah, that's gotta be it…_

Once they were inside the bakery, a place called Olsen's Danish Village Bakery, Lilly calmed down significantly, and began the much more pleasant task of deciding which of the tasty treats she wanted to sample.

"What would you like, Lils? My treat," Miley said with a smile.

"Thanks, Miles," Lilly replied cheerfully. "I'm thinking one of those gonzo cream cheese danish things sounds pretty darn good."

"Want something to drink too?"

"Just some water, please."

"Okay; go find us a place to sit and I'll be right there," Miley said. Lilly nodded and headed towards a small table she'd seen near the door. Sitting down on the side opposite the front of the bakery, she watched as Miley paid for their snacks.

_"I want you to have it."_ Lilly started and turned towards the sound of the voice. It was the same one she'd heard before, she was sure of it. This time though, she saw its source. It was young girl who fiery red hair, standing just outside the bakery. She looked to be about the same age as Lilly, but her clothes appeared incredibly old-fashioned. She was talking to another young girl with long blonde hair, who looked up at her with piercing green eyes.

_"Sammy, this was your mother's! I can't…!"_

_"Yes you can, Nattie. I want you to have something to remember me by."_

_"Don't talk like that!"_

"You okay, Lils?" Miley interrupted suddenly, causing Lilly to jump back in surprise. She hadn't even seen Miley arrive at the table, she'd been so wrapped up in watching the two young girls.

"Take it easy, Lilly!" Miley gasped. "I didn't mean to scare you!" Lilly nodded, trying to draw a breath.

"Sorry, Miles; guess I was just distracted. I found out where those voices were coming from though! Take a look at…" She looked over at where she'd seen the two young girls talking, but the words she'd been about to speak died in her throat; where the two girls had been before, there was now nothing but empty sidewalk.

"Where'd they go?" Lilly asked aloud.

"Who?" Miley asked, confused.

"The two girls I saw talking." Lilly looked like she was about to panic. "They were right there Miles, I swear!" Miley looked where Lilly was pointing, but of course, saw nothing.

"Um… there's no one there, Lils."

"I know that!" Lilly snapped. "A minute ago there was!"

"Relax, Lils… I believe you." She pulled her chair over beside Lilly's, and gently rested her hand atop her girlfriend's.

"Come on… have something to eat. It'll make you feel better." Lilly looked like she was about to say something else, but she abruptly changed her mind.

"Okay, this is seriously starting to freak me out… first I hear voices that aren't there, now I'm seeing people who aren't there!"

"Lilly, please… you're scaring me, baby."

"I think I'm scaring myself," Lilly whispered, resting her head in her hands.

"Come on." Miley stood up.

"Where are we going?" Lilly asked, sounding tired.

"First, we're going to get our snacks to go," Miley responded. "Then we're going to get a room at the hotel here, and _you're_ going to get some rest."

"Aw, come on Miles…"

"No buts," Miley said in her best motherly voice. "You've had enough excitement for one day, Miss Truscott." Lilly shook her head and smiled.

"I'm not gonna win this argument, am I?"

"Nope," Miley replied, eyes sparkling. Lilly laughed.

"All right Miles, I surrender... Take me to the bed!" Miley snorted, trying not to laugh out loud. Lilly blushed furiously.

"_So_ not what I meant…" she muttered. Miley laughed.

"I won't tell anyone if you won't."

* * *

Later, safely in their room at the hotel, Miley made Lilly lay down on the bed and drew the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.

"Y'know," Lilly quipped, "this could almost be romantic… if you weren't trying to act like my mom." Miley laughed.

"You need rest, Lils; I'm worried about you." She winked.

"Besides, there's always later… if you're good." She sat down on the bed and removed her shoes, then carefully laid down next to Lilly. She slid an arm gently around her.

"Now try to get some sleep," she said comfortingly. "I'll be right here."

"All right… and thanks, Miles; thanks for taking care of me." Miley smiled.

"I love you, Lils; I'll always take care of you." She kissed Lilly gently on the top of her head. Lilly snuggled against her.

"Love you too, Miles." Exhaling gently, she slowly closed her eyes and tried to relax enough to fall asleep.

_Maybe when I wake up, all these crazy hallucinations of mine will finally be gone…_ Lilly thought fitfully to herself.

* * *

_A chill wind blew across the plains, lashing against the large covered wagon as it trundled its way slowly forward, pulled by two oxen. Inside the wagon, two young girls huddled together against the cold._

_"You all right, Sammy?" one of them asked._

_"Just cold, Nattie girl," her red-haired friend answered. "Can't believe how long this trip is takin'." Nattie smiled, her green eyes twinkling._

_"We're crossin' the whole country, Sammy; it's _supposed _to take a long time."_

_"I know," Sammy replied. "I just wish we could hurry up and get to where the gold is!" Abruptly, the wagon shuddered to a stop._

_"Time to make camp for the night!" Sammy heard her father call out. Working together, the travelers began to unpack their wagon and set up their camp for the night. They had been doing it for so long – their trip was now in its third month - they were able to complete their chores relatively completely, and soon their sleeping rolls were laid out and a warm fire was roaring against the coming sunset._

_"Looks like snow tonight," Sammy's father said, reaching for his rifle. "Make sure you get the extra blankets out." His wife nodded. He turned to Sammy and Nattie._

_"Samantha, you and Natalie go help your mother. I'll go find our dinner." Slinging the rifle over his shoulder, he walked away. _

_"What do you need us to do, mom?" Sammy asked her mother._

_"Go get the extra blankets out of the wagon," her mother replied. She looked up at them._

_"And stay close," she warned them. Sammy nodded, and she and Nattie began to walk back towards the wagon._

_"I'm glad you were able to make the trip with us, Nattie," Sammy said to her friend. Nattie smiled._

_"It was really kind of your dad to let me come along. I only hope I can find my aunt once we get to California." Sammy reached out to gently squeeze Nattie's shoulder._

_"You will, Nattie girl. We'll find your family… you'll see." They reached the wagon and Sammy climbed inside to find the extra blankets. Feeling playful, she tossed one out at Nattie, catching her in the face with it._

_"Better pick that up," she teased._

_"I'm gonna get you for that, Samantha Jane!" Nattie laughed. Sammy climbed out of the wagon, the remaining blankets in her arms._

_"You'll have to catch me first, Natalie Elizabeth!" She took off towards the camp, Nattie giggling and running after her. Nattie quickly caught up to her, and Sammy responded by quickly darting off in another direction. Nattie pursued her, determined to catch her best friend, and soon both had run far from the camp, without even realizing it. It wasn't until they stopped to catch their breath a few minutes later that they realized what they had done._

_"Sammy? Wh-which way is camp?" Nattie asked, beginning to shiver. Sammy swallowed._

_"I'm… not sure, Nattie. Don't worry though, we'll find it." Truthfully though, she had paid so little attention the direction she'd been running in that she longer had any idea which way to go. The fading light of sunset made their search even more difficult._

_"S-Sammy?" Nattie whispered. "I think we're lost!"_

_"Take it easy, Nattie girl. We'll be all right." A few lonely snowflakes began to drift down from the sky._

_"Oh, no!" Nattie cried._

_"Here," Sammy said. She draped one of the blankets over Nattie's shoulders, then wrapped one around herself as well. Within a few moments, the few swirling snowflakes had transformed into the beginnings of a blinding snowstorm._

_"We've gotta find shelter!" Sammy cried out. She spotted the entrance to a small cave nearby, and the two girls rushed toward it. They dashed inside. As the blizzard began to howl across the plains with all its terrible fury, Sammy and Nattie huddled together in the damp darkness of the cave, wrapped in their blankets and each other's arms…_

* * *

Lilly sat up in bed with a startled shout. She was surprised to see she had been sweating, and her clothes were sticking to her. Miley bolted awake beside her.

"Lilly! You okay?!"

"Y-yeah… sorry, Miles." Lilly ran a trembling hand through her long blonde hair.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked, concerned.

"Nothing, really," Lilly insisted. "I just had a… really weird dream."

"Must've been some dream, for you to wake up like that," Miley remarked. Lilly nodded.

"Tell me about it. You know those… girls I told you I saw earlier?" Lilly asked.

"What about them?"

"I saw them in my dream, Miles. They were friends… and then they got lost in this snowstorm…" Miley's eyes widened.

"In a snowstorm?" she repeated. Lilly frowned.

"Yeah, why?"

"Lilly… I had a dream about a snowstorm too. Two girls, hiding in a cave, during a snowstorm…" Lilly swallowed.

"What did the girls look like?"

"Uh… one was blonde, I think. The other one had red hair."

"Nattie…" Lilly breathed.

"…and Sammy," Miley finished, astonished. She squeezed Lilly's hand in her own.

"Lils… what does this mean? I've never heard of two people having the same dream before."

"I don't know, Miles… but I think it scares me."


	6. Out of the Past

CHAPTER SIX

OUT OF THE PAST

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully, neither Miley nor Lilly saying much about the strange dream they'd somehow shared. Fortunately, the disembodied voices and visions Lilly had been experiencing seemed to have ceased, so they were at last able to enjoy a quiet dinner together. Afterwards, as they walked back to their hotel, Lilly finally found the courage to speak.

"What's happening to me, Miley?" Lilly asked, her voice small and afraid. Her aching with love and concern, Miley gently wrapped an arm around the woman she loved.

"I don't know," Miley said honestly, "but whatever it is, you're not alone, okay? I had the same dream with you, remember?" Lilly nodded slowly.

"Believe me, I remember," she muttered. "You know there's nothing I wouldn't share with you Miles, but dreams? That's just freaky!"

"Tell me about it," Miley agreed. "You know what's even weirder?" Lilly looked at her expectantly.

"Even though I was dreaming about two other people – which is weird anyway – it _felt_ like it was all happening to me."

"It felt like that to me too," Lilly said quietly, "like I was remembering something that had happened to me before." She swallowed.

"Miley… what happens if we have another dream like that tonight?" The thought had never even occurred to Miley before.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when, and if, we get to it."

"I think I'm scared, Miley…"

"Hey, I'm right here with you, okay? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Will you… will you hold me tonight, Miles? Please?" Lilly asked quietly. Miley smiled.

"Of course I will, Lils. Of course I will." Her eyes twinkled. "You don't even have to ask."

* * *

Later that night, back at the hotel, the girls changed and got ready for bed. As she had promised, Miley wrapped her arms protectively around Lilly as they lay together, holding her close. Despite how tired they both were, however, Lilly stubbornly refused to fall asleep.

"Lilly, it's okay," Miley whispered to her. "I'm right here; nothing bad is gonna happen to you tonight."

"I hope so, Miles."

"Please, Lilly… try not to worry about it. Just lie here in my arms and go to sleep, okay?"

"That does sound really nice," Lilly said with a shy smile. Miley smiled back.

"Then just close your eyes, baby…"

* * *

_The terrible blizzard continued to howl across the plains, driving Sammy and Nattie deeper and deeper into the cave in an attempt to escape from the frigid, bone-chilling winds._

_"W-what's g-gonna happen to us, S-Sammy?" Nattie stammered, shivering against the bitter cold._

_"W-we're gonna be all night, N-Nattie girl," Sammy managed. "W-We just gotta wait out the s-storm, and t-then my parents will f-find us…"_

_"W-what if they d-don't?" Nattie asked, fear creeping into her voice. Sammy pulled Nattie closer to her, wrapping her arms more tightly around her best friend in an attempt to warm her up. For a long, silent moment, she sat there and stared at Nattie, taking in the soft curves of her face, the deep emerald green of her eyes._

_"Nattie?" Sammy said softly. Nattie looked at her, noticing for the first time the intense expression on her best friend's face. Something about the way Sammy was looking at her made her blush._

"_Sammy? W-why are you looking at me like that?" Sammy swallowed._

_"I need to tell you something, Nattie… something important. If… if we don't make it out of this… there's something I want you to know." Underneath the blankets they had wrapped around them, Sammy found Nattie's hand._

_"How long have we been friends, Nattie?" Sammy asked carefully._

_"Since we were both little," Nattie answered. "You know that."_

_"That's right," Sammy said. "You've always been there for me.., and I've always tried to look out for you." Nattie smiled._

_"Especially when you saved me from that cowboy," she quipped._

_"He had it coming, treating my girl like that," Sammy said with a grin. "Besides… there was another reason… I didn't want him anywhere near you." Nattie frowned._

_"Sammy? What do you mean?"_

_"Nattie, I…I love you." She braced herself for the worst. Instead, she felt Nattie's tear-stained cheek press gently against her own, and the blonde girl's fingers running through her hair._

_"Sammy… I love you, too," she whispered. Sammy looked up at her, clearly stunned at her friend's confession. Nattie smiled through her tears._

_"I always have," she said softly. "I just… always thought you'd hate me for it. That you'd think I was… disgusting or something."_

_"Never," Sammy promised. "You're my Nattie girl." She wasn't at all surprised to find tears streaming down her own face now. Slowly, carefully, she leaned forward to gently brush her lips against Nattie's. Nattie jerked away._

_"I-I'm sorry, Nattie… I-I thought…"_

_"It's not that," Nattie said, shaking her head. "It's just…" Her cheeks flushed._

_"What is it, Nattie girl? You know you can tell me anything." Nattie swallowed._

_"Sammy, you know people aren't gonna…accept us. They won't let us just… be together."_

_"I know," Sammy replied carefully. "If we don't survive this… it's not really gonna matter; even if, by some miracle, we do… I don't care what anyone thinks, Nattie."_

_"Even your father?" Nattie asked uncertainly. Sammy was silent for a long moment afterward, her thoughts swirling. Finally, she cleared her throat_

_"Yes," she said quietly, eyes on the cave floor. "For you, Nattie… I'd do anything." Nattie reached down and slid a finger beneath Sammy's chin, using it to lift Sammy's face towards her own._

_"You'd… you'd give up everything… for me?" Nattie asked, her voice quavering. Sammy nodded, smiling through her tears._

_"I love you," she said simply. Tears flowing freely, Nattie pulled Sammy to her in a searing kiss…_

* * *

Lilly's eyes fluttered open, sensation and awareness slowing returning. Her entire body was tingling, her pulse racing. It was almost as though…

_No way…_ Lilly breathed. She looked over to see Miley stirring as well.

"Miles?" Lilly called her name softly. "Did… Did you have another dream?" Her arms still wrapped protectively around her girlfriend, Miley nodded sleepily.

"_What_ a dream, though," she whispered. "I feel like…" She blushed slightly.

"Me too," Lilly admitted sheepishly. "I swear, it's almost like… y'know, that _we_ were… instead of Sammy and Nattie…" She swallowed. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Miley, you don't think…"

"I'm starting to think these aren't just dreams, Lils," Miley responded. "It's… it's like we're actually starting to feel… what Sammy and Nattie are feeling."

"That's impossible… isn't it Miley?" Lilly asked. Fear began creeping into her voice.

"There was a time I would've said yes," Miley replied, running a hand through her hair. "That was before we starting sharing these weird dreams… or whatever they are."

"W-what is all this, Miley?" Lilly whispered, her bottom lip trembling. "What's happening to us?"

"Please don't cry, Lils," Miley said, pulling Lilly to her. "It's gonna be all right. I don't honestly know what all this is, or what it's supposed to mean, but you know what?" Lilly shook her head.

"So far, it's hasn't been that terrible."

"Miles!" Lilly exclaimed. "How can you say that?!"

"Think about it, Lils," Miley said gently. "Has anything in these… dreams… tried to hurt us in any way?"

"Well… no," Lilly admitted.

"It's like we're seeing someone else's memories or something," Miley continued. "So far they really haven't been that bad, either." She grinned.

"Unless you mind watching two girls fall in love," she smirked.

"It _is_ kinda sweet," Lilly said honestly, smiling a little despite herself. "In a creepy, eerie sort of way." Miley laughed.

"Do you think we're being shown these things for a reason, Miles?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know, Lils," Miley replied. "I hadn't thought of it that way, to be honest; but you might be right." She brushed a strand of hair away from Lilly's eyes.

"If you're right though, there's really nothing we can do but wait and until we're shown more."

"I guess so," Lilly responded. She smirked. "I can think of something better to do than just sitting around here waiting, though."

"Oh really?" Miley replied, arching an eyebrow. "Like what?" She felt Lilly slowly run her fingers along the inside of her leg and inhaled sharply.

"I'm sure you can use your imagination…" Lilly said teasingly. Her hand climbed higher.

"L-Lilly…"

"Yeah, Miles?" Lilly practically purred. "Did you want something?"

"Ya think?" Miley retorted playfully. "Now, you gonna stop playing around… and kiss me?" Lilly smiled and happily complied.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed quickly, and after a hearty breakfast, Miley & Lilly decided to pack up and get back out on the road. Both girls were eager to have some fun and get their minds off the unusual dreams they had been experiencing, so they decided to head for Santa Barbara and spend a few relaxing days there.

"I think I'm gonna like it here, Miley!" Lilly gushed as they drove into the coastal city.

"Why do you say that, Lils?" Miley asked with a grin.

"Why do you think, silly? We're near the ocean! Surfing here I come!" Miley giggled.

"What about me?" she asked, trying her best pouting face.

"I'll teach you," Lilly replied happily. "I bet you'd make a great surfer, Miles!"

"Me?" Miley gaped. "C'mon Lils, you know me! I was absent the day they taught grace!"

"Why Miss Stewart, are you afraid of a little water?" Lilly teased her.

"No," Miley answered, "I'm not afraid of the water… I'm afraid of what you might do to me in the water!" Lilly laughed.

"Just you wait and see, Miley... I'll teach you all _kinds_ of fun things you can do in the water." Miley arched an eyebrow.

"That's what scares me…"

* * *

A few hours later, after the girls checked into the Hotel Santa Barbara and enjoyed a nice lunch together, Lilly finally dragged Miley out to the beach with her.

"Come on Miles, it'll be fun!" Lilly practically begged.

"You promise you'll take it easy on me?" Miley asked fearfully.

"I promise," Lilly replied with a laugh. "I'll be right beside you." She held out her hand. Still convinced she must be crazy, Miley took the offered hand and allowed Lilly to guide her down to the seashore.

"Now, the first thing you need to learn is how to paddle out," Lilly began. "It's real easy, Miles; I'll show you." Lilly waded out into the water with her rented surfboard until the waves were up to her knees. Then she floated the 'board out in front of her and laid down astride it.

"Follow me out, Miles," she called over her shoulder. "Just do what I do." Nervously, Miley did as she was asked. She swam a bit slower, and far more uncertainly, than Lilly had but eventually she floated up beside the woman she loved.

"Okay, not too bad Miles," Lilly praised her. "Just remember, the waves are your friends… and you can stop staring at me in my bikini now." She smirked, and Miley blushed.

"Hey, don't they always say you should pick something to focus on when you're nervous?" she quipped.

"You keep focusing on me like that, and you're gonna sink instead of swim!" Lilly teased her. "Now, you ready for the next part of the lesson?" Miley nodded uncertainly.

"I guess so; what's next Lils?"

"Next, we work on your balance. You need to be able to stand on your board without tipping over."

"You want me… to _stand up_ on this thing?" Miley asked incredulously. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Easy… 'cause you love me," Lilly replied, smiling. "Now don't give up me so easily."

"I still don't see why I have to do this," Miley complained.

"You'd rather try it in the middle of a wave?" Lilly challenged her.

"All right, all right," Miley grumbled playfully. "I'll give it a try. How do I stand up on this thing?"

"Sit up and straddle the board; then you can push yourself up." Slowly but surely, Miley attempted to do so. She eventually managed to get her legs out from under her and stood, shakily, on top of her own rented surfboard.

"Way to go, Miles! You did it!" Lilly cried out happily. "Now try to stay that way. Balance yourself…!" Unfortunately, Miley's legs chose that moment to give out beneath her, and she fell into the water with a loud splash, drenching Lilly as well. Gasping and sputtering, Miley looked dejectedly at her equally-wet girlfriend.

"I think that's enough for today," Lilly muttered.

"Look on the bright side," Miley managed. "On you, wet looks good." She grinned.

"Oh, really?" Lilly smirked. She reached back and heaved a great splash of water right in Miley's face.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" Miley laughed

"I'd like to see you try!" Lilly giggled, backing up.

"You asked for it!" Miley shouted, and she charged at Lilly, laughing and splashing.

* * *

Back in the hotel, dry and dressed again, Miley and Lilly decided to visit the hotel's steakhouse for a nice, romantic dinner.

"I've never eaten by candlelight before," Lilly whispered, grinning.

"Me either," Miley replied. "Gotta say, I'm really liking it so far."

"That makes two of us," Lilly said, raising her glass towards Miley's in a toast. "By the way, I hope you're not gonna give up on learning to surf with me after your little spill today."

"I might be willing to try again," Miley said, "Once I 'm not _water logged_ anymore." Lilly laughed.

"You gave as good as you got, Miles. I'm still pretty soaked too."

"That's what you get for messing with the great and powerful Miley!"

"You wish, Stewart… you wish!" Lilly giggled. The waiter arrived then with their dinners, and conversation between the two young ladies was lost in favor of their meal.

"You gotta try this, Miles," Lilly said, sliding over to the woman she loved and offering her a forkful of food.

"What is it?" Miley asked.

"Don't you trust me?" Lilly replied, giving a wounded look.

"All right, all right… let me…" She was stopped by Lilly gently placing the forkful of food in her mouth. Fighting the urge to blush, Miley ate it very slowly, her eyes never leaving Lilly's.

"That was… really good, Lils," she said carefully.

"From the look on your face, I don't think you're just talking about the food," Lilly teased her.

"Um, no…it's just that no one's ever done that to me before," Miley said quietly. "At least, not like _that_."

"Done what?" Lilly asked.

"Lilly, you… fed me." She nearly blushed again.

"So maybe I like taking care of you?" Lilly replied with a smile.

"I think I could get used to that," Miley whispered.

"Good… 'cause I know I could get used to taking care of you." She brushed a gentle finger along Miley's cheek.

"Lilly…"

"Yeah, Miles?" Miley responded by pressing her lips gently against Lilly's in a tender kiss.

* * *

After dinner, Miley and Lilly decided to take a quiet walk together along the beach. They walked barefoot at the edge of the water, hand in hand.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Lily asked teasingly.

"Oh, no… no more water for me today!" Miley laughed. "Besides, I can think of something I'd rather do."

"Like what?"

"Like this." Miley kissed Lilly lovingly.

"Oh yeah; much better than swimming," Lilly breathed.

"I thought so," Miley agreed with a smile.

"Anything else you feel like doing?" Lilly asked her, smiling.

"Nope; just being here, with you, is enough for me."

"It really has been a wonderful day," Lilly said softly.

"Yup… we definitely need more days like this," Miley agreed. Lilly suddenly missed a step and nearly fell.

"Whoa! You okay, Lils?"

"Y-yeah," Lilly responded, sounding shaken. "I'm starting to feel a little tired though. Maybe we should head back."

"Sure, if you want," Miley responded. They started walking again, but Miley noticed Lilly seemed to be having trouble.

"Lils? What's wrong?" Miley asked, concerned.

"I… I don't know, Miles. All of the sudden I just feel so… so sleepy…"

"Lilly!" Unexpectedly, Miley's vision began to blur, and she found herself growing weak, a feeling of unbelievable exhaustion sweeping over her.

"Hey, what…" She tried desperately to fight it, but soon found she couldn't. Her legs gave way beneath her, and Miley sank to her knees. Though she was long past being able to notice, she wasn't alone. Lilly had already collapsed, unconscious, onto the sand beside her. A few moments later, Miley joined her.

* * *

_Twelve hours had passed, and Sammy and Nattie were no closer to being rescued. The blizzard still howled outside the cave, and the temperature inside had dropped dangerously low. Sammy and Nattie still clung, shivering, to one another. Their recent revelations of love for one another had drawn them closer together than either had thought possible, but even that could do little against the harsh winter cold threatening their lives._

_"Nattie?"_

_"I'm here, Sammy."_

_"There's something… I want you to have." She reached carefully under the blankets covering them both and pulled up one of the sleeves of her dress, revealing a shining silver bracelet adorning her wrist. A single turquoise gem adorned the center of it. Hands trembling in the cold, Sammy slowly removed it._

"_Sammy, that was your mother's! I can't…!"_

_"Yes you can, Nattie. I want you to have something to remember me by."_

_"Don't talk like that!"_

_"Please, Nattie… I know it's not much, but I want you to have something that'll show much I love you." She took Nattie's hand and began to gently slide the silver bracelet onto her wrist._

_"I don't need a bracelet for that," Nattie half-protested._

_"Now every time you look down and see it… you'll think of me."_

_"S-Sammy…" Tears began to slide down Nattie's cheeks. Sammy leaned forward and gently kissed her._

_"I love you, Nattie girl."_

_"I love you too, Sammy… so much." They kissed again… only to be suddenly interrupted by a loud voice, calling out to them._

_"Sammy! That sounds like…!"_

_"Daddy!" Moments later, the gruff features of Mr. Gann, Sammy's father, appeared in the confines of the cavern ahead of them._

_"Samantha! Natalie!" He called out. "Here you are!" Subconsciously, Nattie quickly hid the bracelet now on her wrist. Despite Sammy's earlier assurances, she knew it would raise questions neither of them were truly prepared to answer yet._

_"Come on!" Mr. Gann called out again. "We'll get ya back to camp!" Sammy and Nattie gladly reached for his waiting arms._

_"Oh, daddy! I thought we were gonna die!"_

_"It's gonna be okay, girl. We can talk later about how you two got out here all by yourselves." Sammy and Nattie exchanged a quick look. Sammy's father sounded angry. Already their new relationship seemed to be facing challenges._

_"It'll be all right," Sammy whispered carefully to Nattie. She tried to smile, but the rush of conflicting emotions surging through her made it difficult. Nattie simply gave Sammy's hand a surreptitious squeeze beneath their blankets, as they were led out the cave to safety…_

* * *

"Miley! Come on, Miley… please wake up!" Lilly shook her urgently, fear seizing her. At least, Miley's eyes fluttered open.

"W-what...?"

"Oh, thank God!" Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley in a fierce hug. "I was so scared I'd lost you!"

"I'm still here," Miley whispered weakly. "What was that Lils? What happened?"

"Another dream," Lilly replied. "This one was scary though… we weren't even asleep!"

"At least we weren't planning to be," Miley muttered. "So now these things can just come to us whenever?"

"I guess so," Lilly agreed uncertainly. "Something made us just… fall askeep!" Miley nodded.

"Lils… I think something _wants_ us to see Sammy and Nattie."

"Why?" Lilly asked, puzzled.

"I'm not sure," Miley responded. "I have an idea, though." She reached out and pulled up Lilly's sleeve, revealing her new silver and turquoise bracelet.

"Lilly… I think this is Sammy's bracelet."


	7. Secrets

**A/N: I really struggled with this chapter for some reason, so I hope it isn't too terrible. Thanks again to everyone who has left me reviews. You guys are the greatest :)**

CHAPTER SEVEN

SECRETS

Lilly gently fingered the silver and turquoise bracelet on his wrist, Miley's words echoing through her mind.

"Miley… is that even possible?"

"Lils, you saw it in our 'dream' the same as I did," Miley continued. "I'm telling you, they look _exactly_ the same!"

"How could it be Sammy's bracelet though?" Lilly asked, still not understanding.

"I don't know," Miley admitted. "I don't know a lot about what's happening to us… but this is just too much of a coincidence to ignore, Lilly."

"All right, Miles… so what should we do?"

"Maybe we should try to find out more about the bracelet, and where it came from," Miley suggested.

"I guess that makes as much sense as anything," Lilly muttered. "So how do we do that?"

"We can try calling the store where you bought it… in the morning."

"So what do we do tonight then?" Lilly asked. Miley smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something to occupy us," she said in a sultry voice. Lilly almost choked.

"At least I know you're back to normal," she laughed.

* * *

The night passed without incident, and for the first time in the last few days, Miley & Lilly awoke without having one of their dreams.

"So that's what a good night's sleep feels like," Lilly said with a sleepy smile.

"Well, the part of it we slept anyway," Miley replied with a smirk.

"Still makes it a good night," Lilly whispered in a sultry voice, brushing her lips against Miley's in a gentle kiss.

"No argument here," Miley breathed. They kissed again, and then Miley sat up.

"Well, we could do this all day, but I'm afraid we have something else to do this morning."

"Killjoy," Lilly teased. "Come on, let's grab a shower… I feel the need to get clean!" She winked suggestively at Miley.

"You're going to be the death of me yet," Miley grumbled playfully. "All right… but later, you're going to call that store!"

"Yes, mother," Lilly replied with a laugh. She took Miley's hand and they walked to the bathroom together.

* * *

A little while later, showered and dressed, Lilly sat down and made a call from their hotel room to the antique store in Solvang where she had bought the silver bracelet.

"Capricorn Antiques and Collectables," the voice of an older woman answered.

"Hi!" Lilly replied. "I was in your store a few days ago, and I bought a lovely silver and turquoise bracelet there."

"Oh, yes… the little blonde haired girl and her friend."

"Uh, yeah… that's me," Lilly managed, trying to bite down her sarcastic reply. "I was wondering, could you tell me where it came from?" There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"I'm afraid it's a very old piece of jewelry," the woman replied hesitantly. "It would be hard to say…" Lilly shared a questioning look with Miley.

"Is there anything you can tell me about it at all?" Lilly pressed.

"Well…" the older woman still sounded extremely hesitant. "I believe it may be from around the time of the Gold Rush, but that's all I know."

"All right," Lilly replied, sounding resigned.. "Thanks anyway." She hung up.

"Well, _that_ was a waste of time," Lilly grumbled.

"What did they say?" Miley asked.

"Not much of anything," Lilly muttered. "All she'd say is that the bracelet is supposed to be from around the time of the Gold Rush." Miley's eyes widened.

"The Gold Rush!" she exclaimed. "Lils, that makes it over 150 years old!"

"R-really?" Lilly stammered. "Okay, guess I didn't quite put that together…"

"And you say _I'm_ the one who needs to pay more attention in history class," Miley quipped. She stopped.

"Wait a minute… the Gold Rush? Lilly, the first time we had one of these 'dreams' together… didn't Sammy say something about getting to where the gold is?" Lilly paled.

"Y-yeah… I think she did, Miley…"

"_I_ think we're getting closer… to something," Miley replied carefully. She swallowed and walked over to Lilly, wrapping her arms around her shivering girlfriend and pulling her into a gentle hug.

"This is getting seriously weird," Lilly whispered. "Do you think… do you think all this is _supposed_ to be happening to us?"

"I don't know," Miley answered honestly. "I have to admit, though… it's starting to feel that way."

"But why us?" Lilly pressed.

"I don't know that either, Lils. Maybe… I don't know, maybe they're trying to tell us something."

"Sammy and Nattie?" Lilly asked incredulously.

"Think about it, Lils; if the bracelet you're wearing really is Sammy's, then Sammy and Nattie must've been real people!" Miley exclaimed.

"Then… then we're not just having dreams?"

"I think they're a lot more than that, Lils; a lot more."

"Great," Lilly muttered. "I think I liked hallucinations better…"

"Take it easy, Lils; everything's gonna be okay, I promise," Miley soothed her. A sudden thought occurred to her.

"I've got an idea, Lils," she said, a brilliant grin lighting up her face. "I know how we can get your mind off things."

"Oh really?" Lilly replied, eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Not like _that_!" Miley giggled, fighting not to blush. She thought about it for a moment. "All right, maybe after that…" Lilly chuckled.

"You're insatiable, you know that?"

"What can I say?" Miley replied, her voice husky. "When I'm around you, I just can't seem to help myself…"

"I've noticed," Lilly said with a smile. "I have to admit though, it _is_ really cute when you make that little whimpering noise…"

"O-kay!" Miley quickly cut her, off blushing deeply. "That's enough of that!"

"Sorry, Miles; didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Sure you didn't," Miley responded sarcastically. "That's okay, Lils; you know what they say about payback!"

"That it can be fun?" Lilly quipped in a sultry voice. Miley crossed her arms in front of her, feigning outrage.

"All right you," she said, smiling. "I can see I'm going to have to give your mouth something else to do… but later, Miss Truscott, you and I are going on a picnic!"

"A picnic?" Lilly repeated. "Uh, Miles… that didn't work out so well last time…"

"I know," Miley responded, kissing Lilly gently on the cheek. "I still feel a little responsible for letting our last one get ruined, so I want to make it up to you."

"You don't have to do that, Miles… r-really…" Miley began slowly kissing her way down Lilly's neck, nibbling on the exposed skin.

"I want to," she whispered, sending shivers down Lilly's spine. "Please?"

"A-all right… if it means that much to you, M-Miley… oh, god…" Speech was rapidly becoming more and more difficult, as Miley's lips dipped lower.

"Good," Miley replied with a satisfied grin. "Now where were we…?"

* * *

Much later, Miley and Lilly found themselves at Alameda Park, enjoying a quiet picnic lunch together. Unlike their previous such attempt, this time no one showed up to disturb their time together.

"Well, what do you think?" Miley asked. They had found a small corner of the park for themselves, and there they spread out a simple blanket. Their lunch was much simpler than last time – just burgers and fries – but neither Miley nor Lilly seemed to care. After all, the picnic had nothing to do with what food they ate; as long as they had each other's company to enjoy, that was all they cared about.

"Did I do okay?" Miley asked uncertainly.

"You did great," Lilly assured her. She snuggled against Miley, the two of them lying on the blanket in each other's arms.

"I know it's not much," Miley apologized.

"Hey, you know I'm a junk food girl," Lilly said with a smile. "Burgers and fries are fine with me. That I'm with you is way more important."

"How do you always know just what to say?" Miley asked, smiling back.

"Call it a gift," Lilly chuckled. She leaned towards Miley and gently kissed her. Then she laid back in Miley's arms again, eyes searching the sky.

"What are you looking at?" Miley asked her curiously.

"The clouds," Lilly replied. She pointed at a particularly big and fluffy one. "See? That one looks like… a dog!" Miley looked where she was pointing and smiled.

"It kinda does, doesn't it? A big dog, with a long tail!"

"How about that one?" Lilly pointed at another cloud, this one long and narrow.

"Hmmm…" Miley thought about it for a moment. "Kind of like… a train!" Lilly grinned at Miley's enthusiasm.

"I get to pick one for you now," Miley said, grinning. "Try… that one!" She gestured at yet another cloud.

"Ooh, good one Miles," Lilly replied. "I think it looks like… a rabbit!" She scanned the blue sky above them.

"There's a wave!" she exclaimed, pointing at another cloud.

"You've got waves on the brain," Miley teased her. Lilly laughed.

"Speaking of which… you still owe me another lesson!" Miley groaned.

"All right, fine; but only if you wear that bikini again!" she said with a laugh.

"That could be arranged," Lilly replied with a smirk. "Sometimes though Miley, I think you'd like it better if I wore nothing at all!"

"Of course not," Miley quipped, not sounding entirely serious. "Besides, then I'd have to share you with everybody!"

"Nope, sorry; I'm yours and nobody else's," Lilly said, smiling warmly.

"I like the sound of that," Miley purred. She kissed Lilly deeply.

"You know I'm yours, and only yours, right?" she asked Lilly, looking into her eyes. Lilly smiled and nodded.

"I know… and I'm the luckiest girl in the world." She snuggled against Miley again, enjoying the warmth of her and the scent of her hair. Still smiling, she closed her eyes.

"Comfortable?" Miley asked teasingly.

"Very," Lilly answered contentedly. "Join me, won't you?" Grinning, Miley laid down beside Lilly, wrapping her arms protectively around the woman she loved.

"You're right," Miley agreed happily, "this _is_ very nice."

"M-Miley?" Lilly's voice trembled.

"What is it, Lils? Are you okay?"

"I think… I think it's happening again!" she cried out. Just like before, she could feel the strength and energy draining away from her. Miley began to notice the sudden, eerily familiar weakness washing over her as well. It seemed to be happening much quicker than before.

"Take it easy, Lils," Miley whispered. "Don't fight it, okay? Just let it… happen…" She tried to tighten her embrace around Lilly, to comfort her, as the unnatural sleep overtook them.

"I'm right here with you, baby. Maybe… we'll finally find… the answers… together…"

* * *

_The Gann's wagon finally rolled into the bustling port town of Marysville, California, nearly a month later. The former ranch, not far from where gold has been discovered on John Sutter's land, had become a popular stopping point for riverboats from Sacramento and San Francisco. It was, therefore, a well-known place for miners to head out to the gold digging grounds._

_"We'll set up camp outside of town," Mr. Gann explained. "I'll head into town and pick up some supplies, then ship out on the first riverboat tomorrow."_

_"What about us?" Sammy asked._

_"You and Natalie will stay here with your mother while I'm gone," Mr. Gann answered. "I'll be back as soon as I find the gold." Sammy wasn't nearly as certain of her father's chances as he was, but she knew better than to say so._

_"Do you understand?" Mr. Gann asked gruffly. Sammy nodded sadly._

_"Yes, father."_

_"Good; now help your mother get things set up. I'll be back in a little while." He galloped off on his horse, leaving the three ladies behind to tend to their own duties._

_"C'mon Sammy," Nattie called out. "Let's get it over with." They walked over to the back of the wagon and began unloading supplies for the night._

_"Well, there's one good thing about your father being gone for a while," Nattie said, trying to cheer Sammy up._

_"What's that?" Sammy asked._

_"We can do this," Nattie replied, smiling as she stole a quick kiss._

_"My mother will still be here, you know," Sammy pointed out with a grin._

_"Then we'll just have to be careful," Nattie told her, a hint of mischief in her voice._

_"You're going to be the death of me yet, Nattie girl," Sammy laughed. She leaned in to kiss Nattie again. The gentle kiss soon became heated and passionate, their tongues battling for dominance._

_"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" a loud voice screamed, startling them out of their loving embrace. Sammy and Nattie turned to see Mr. Gann staring down at them from his horse, an enraged expression on his face._

_"D-daddy! What…?"_

_"I forgot my money pouch," he said simply, eyes filled with barely contained anger, "So I turned back… and what do I find?!"_

_"Daddy, please… I can explain!"_

_"Explain what?!" Mr. Gann roared. "Just what do you think you're doing, Samantha? Do you have any idea how wrong this is?!" Sammy felt her own anger rising._

_"Wrong? Daddy, I love Nattie… how can that be wrong?!"_

_"She's a girl, Samantha! You _both_ are! It's a perversion!" He turned his angry gaze to Nattie._

_"To think I took you in, and gave you a home, after your parents died…and THIS is how you repay me?!"_

_"Leave her alone!!" Sammy screamed, jumping between her father and Nattie. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"_

_"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady!" Mr. Gann thundered. "I'm your father, and you will do as I say!" Sammy had never seen her father so angry, but for once she wasn't afraid of him. She was far more afraid of losing Nattie, and her love gave her courage._

_"No, daddy," Sammy said, her voice low. "I love Nattie, and I won't give her up… not for you, not for anything!"_

_"Is that so?" Mr. Gann replied dangerously. Sammy put her arms protectively around Nattie. By now, Mrs. Gann had heard the commotion, and she hurried over to see what was wrong._

_"Leonard! Samantha! What in tarnation is going on here?!" _

_"Did you know about this, Elizabeth?" Mr. Gann asked dangerously._

_"About what?" Mrs. Gann repeated. "I don't understand, Leonard." Then she caught sight of Sammy & Nattie standing nearby, arms around each other._

_"What is this?"_

_"Exactly what it looks like," Mr. Gann growled. "Their sin is written all over their faces!" Mrs. Gann stared at her only daughter, and the young woman who had come to mean as much to her, for a long moment, then tears began to slide down her face. Crying freely, she slowly backed away, wrapping her arms around herself and shaking her head sadly, until she was standing beside her still-mounted husband. Without saying a word, her decision had been made._

_"I'm disappointed in you. Samantha Jane," Mr. Gann continued, "Very disappointed. If this is the way you want to live – in _sin_ – then you will live it alone. I'll have nothing more to do with you… either of you!" He pointed an accusing finger at them._

_"Go! Get out of my sight!" he shouted. "You're no longer my daughter, Samantha! Not any more!!"_

* * *

Miley & Lilly awoke simultaneously, both jolted back into consciousness by the terrible emotions from their latest dream.

"Miley!" Lilly called out.

"I'm right here, Lils," Miley whispered, hugging her gently. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so," Lilly replied. "A lot better than poor Sammy and Nattie, anyway."

"I know," Miley replied softly. "It's weird, but… I feel really sorry for them."

"So do I," Lilly said. She looked up at Miley.

"Miles? Do you think… do you think we could help them somehow?"

"I don't know, Lils; I get the feeling we're somehow seeing things that have already happened, but maybe we _can_ find a way to do something for them."

"I hope so," Lilly responded. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Miley! I think I know how we might be able to!"

"What do you mean, Lils?"

"In our dream this time, Miles… we saw where they were! We saw where Sammy & Nattie were!"

"You're right, Lils," Miley said thoughtfully. "We _did_, didn't we? We saw them in a place called Marysville." Lilly looked at her, suddenly anxious and excited.

"We need to go there, Miles!" she exclaimed. "Don't you see? If Marysville is a real place, then Sammy & Nattie were real too, just like you said!" Miley couldn't help but smile a little.

"Sure looks that way," she said. "What d'ya expect to find by going to the place where we saw Sammy & Nattie, though?"

"I'm not sure," Lilly admitted. "Maybe we can finally figure out what's causing all this. It's just… after everything we've been through together, I really need to see what happens to them." She looked at Miley pleadingly.

"Please, Miley?"

"Take it easy Lils; we'll go," Miley said, smiling gently. "I want to see this through to the end just as much as you do." She looked at Lilly carefully.

"Can I ask you something though?" she asked. Lilly nodded.

"What is it, Miles?"

"I thought you were afraid before, Lils… didn't you tell me the dreams were scaring you?"

"They were," Lilly said honestly. "Look, I know this is gonna sound strange, but now it… it's staring to feel like we actually _know_ Sammy & Nattie." Miley noticed the expression on Lilly's face as she spoke. She knew Lilly well enough to sense the emotions hiding behind her words, and reached out to gently brush her fingers through Lilly's long blonde hair.

"What happened to them really hit close to home, didn't it?" she asked Lilly quietly. Lilly swallowed.

"That could've happened to _us_," she whispered.

"Our families would never have done that to us, Lils," Miley said softly. "You know that."

"What if they had, though?" Lilly replied, her voice rising.

"We'd have survived, somehow," Miley told her honestly, "and I'd still be right here with you. You know that, don't you?"

"You'd have given up everything… for me?" Lilly asked, not quite able to believe what she was hearing.

"Of course I would have, Lils. It wouldn't have been easy, but for you… I'd do anything." Lilly looked at her, dumbfounded.

"E-even if it meant you'd lose everything? Your dad… your family… even Hannah?" she whispered. Miley took Lilly's hand gently in her own.

"Lilly… I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone. Without you… I don't know what I'd do." She looked deep into Lilly's eyes, feeling a tear running down her cheek.

"Don't you understand, Lilly? You're my _life_… and you're more important to me than anything; even Hannah." Lilly blinked back tears.

"Oh, Miles…" she whispered. She pulled Miley close to her, wrapping her arms lovingly around her. Miley smiled and leaned into the embrace, enjoying the feel of Lilly's arms around her.

"I think I just needed to hear you say it," Lilly said with a little smile. "I love you too, Miley… so much." She kissed Miley tenderly, pulling the woman she loved against her. Miley moaned softly as she felt Lilly's hands gently caressing her body. They parted a few moments later, but remained close, noses nearly touching.

"Did I ever tell you how good a kisser you are?" Miley asked with a grin.

"Well, it helps that I can kiss someone I really love," Lilly replied with a wink. "Besides, you're not so bad yourself."

"Why, thank you, kind miss," Miley laughed. "Only for you, though."

"Right back atcha," Lilly grinned. She ran a gentle finger across Miley's cheek.

"By the way… thanks for the picnic," she said.

"Much better than the last one, huh?" Miley quipped.

"Got that right," Lilly replied warmly. "Junk food _and_ Miley kisses? I think I can die happy now!" Miley laughed.

"As long as it's in my arms," she said with a grin.

"Mmmm… you've got a deal," Lilly sighed happily, snuggling against her girlfriend again.

"We'll stay the night here in Santa Barbara," Miley said, smiling. "Tomorrow, we'll head for Marysville… and, hopefully, some answers."

"Sounds like a plan," Lilly agreed. "In the meantime… can we just lay here together for a while?"

"Anything you want, Lils," Miley replied warmly. "Anything you want."


	8. Unfinished

**A/N: Well, here's another chapter... hope you like it. Just two more to go! :) I really want to thank everyone for your awesome reviews - _Kurrent, Truscott, xTexasgalx_, _Hermione032192_, _-little clip-_, and everyone who's been reading my story. I'm really flattered by all your comments, and you inspire me to write more :)**

CHAPTER EIGHT

UNFINISHED

The drive to Marysville took nearly seven hours, with Miley and Lilly taking turns driving. They talked, listened to music, and just enjoyed each other's company. Neither of them said anything about why they were heading for Marysville, nor what they thought they might find when they got here. Though they couldn't quite explain why, they were determined to learn the truth behind their 'dreams' of Sammy & Nattie, and that truth seemed to be at last within their grasp.

It was just about dinner time when they finally arrived, so the girls found a hotel room for themselves and then headed out for a bite to eat, promising to begin their search the following morning.

"Where do you think we should start?" Lilly asked later over a plate of spaghetti.

"I was thinking the Hall of Records," Miley replied, taking a sip of her soda. "Maybe we can find some sort of historical records that will help us."

"That's a good idea, Miles," Lilly agreed. "Maybe we can try the library too."

"The library?" Miley repeated.

"You know, the place where they keep books?" Lilly teased her. Miley playfully nudged her under the table.

"I know that, silly; I meant, why the library? What do you expect to find there?"

"I don't know," Lilly admitted. "Maybe we can find a book about the history of Marysville. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Sure," Miley replied with a smile. "At this point, I'm willing to give anything a try!"

* * *

The following day, Miley & Lilly set out for the Marysville Hall of Records. The old-fashioned looking white building that greeted them looked as though it would have been right at home in Sammy & Nattie's time. Two metal light fixtures, made to look like flickering torches, sat on either side of the large glass doors leading inside. Hand in hand, Miley and Lilly entered the building.

The clerk behind the counter directed the girls to one of their archive computers. Being the more techno-savvy of the two, Lilly sat down at the computer while Miley stood beside her.

"All right Miles, how do we start?" Lilly asked. Miley thought about it for a moment.

"Try searching for records of anyone named Gann," she replied. Lilly nodded.

"Sammy's last name," she responded thoughtfully. "Okay, let's see what we can find." She typed in the request for information and hit 'enter'. A few moments later, the results appeared.

"Looks like a few people by the name of Gann in the city's history, but I don't see a Samantha," Lilly replied, disappointment evident in her voice.

"Too bad we don't know Nattie's last name," Miley said. "What else could we search for?"

"I don't know," Lilly told her, feeling dejected. "I was so _sure_ we'd find something about Sammy…" Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait a sec!" She scrolled through the names on the computer screen, and excitedly clicked on one.

"What is it, Lils?" Miley asked her.

"We didn't find Sammy, but I _did_ see another familiar name," Lilly said. She pointed at it on the screen. "Leonard Gann – Sammy's father."

"I didn't even notice his name before," Miley commented. "What does it say about him?"

"Not a lot," Lilly responded. "It mentions him staking a mining claim not far from town, back during the Gold Rush. Also mentions his wife – but no children."

"Convenient," Miley muttered bitterly. "He didn't want anything to do with his own daughter anyway."

"It even has a picture of him," Lilly told Miley. She brought it up on the screen, and grimaced. "That's him all right – even meaner than he looked in our dreams."

"Anything else?" Miley asked.

"Doesn't look like it, unfortunately," Lilly said. "There are a few more pictures of him in the archives, though…" She tapped on the keyboard in front of her.

"What's that?" Miley asked, pointing to one picture in particular. Lilly clicked on it and it filled the screen. It showed a weary-looking older man – clearly Leonard Gann, though he seemed much older – standing beside the burned-out remains of a large building. Something about the picture sent a chill down Miley's spine.

"What's it say at the bottom?" she asked, noticing a small caption beneath the picture.

"_A_ _local brothel destroyed in the tragic Fire of 1852_," Lilly read aloud. "_Dozens of people were killed, including_…" She stopped abruptly, the breath catching in her throat. Her mouth went dry.

"What is it, Lils?" Miley asked, suddenly concerned.

"It says…" Lilly had to force her mouth to form the words. "It says two young girls were killed in the fire as well." Miley looked at her with wide eyes.

"You don't think…" she started to ask.

"I don't know," Lilly said honestly, "but I have a really bad feeling about this. I gotta check it out." Typing rapidly, Lilly quickly initiated a search for more information about the terrible fire. She soon had dozens of potential results to check out. One in particular caught her eye, though. It was a historical news article about the fire, featuring a very old picture of the brothel itself and the ladies who once called it home. Lilly clicked on the picture to enlarge it, heart hammering in her chest. She felt it plunge into a pit of despair when she noticed two very familiar faces not quite hiding in the background.

"Sammy and Nattie…" Lilly whispered, nearly choking on their names.

"W-Well… we don't know they were the ones…" Miley whispered, trying desperately to avoid the awful truth.

"Who else could it be?" Lilly retorted. "Do you see any other young girls there, Miley?!" Stung by Lilly's sudden anger, Miley took a step back.

"Lils, I… I didn't mean…" Miley stammered. Lilly squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"I know Miles; I'm sorry," she managed. "It's just… even though we already knew what we were probably going to find… I didn't expect…"

"I know," Miley replied softly. She walked back over to Lilly and knelt beside her, taking Lilly's hand in her own. "I didn't want to believe it, either." She gently brushed a tear from Lilly's cheek.

"What would they be doing in a place like that anyway?" Lilly wondered aloud.

"Maybe… maybe that was the only place they could go," Miley suggested. "You know, after what Sammy's father did to them…"

"Don't remind me," Lilly muttered. She looked at Miley, a sad expression on her face. "This is probably gonna sound nuts, Miles, but… I _need_ to know what happened to them!"

"You're not crazy, Lils," Miley said gently. "I want to know what happened to Sammy & Nattie as much as you do. It's funny, but I think I've actually come to care about them."

"Me, too," Lilly replied. "I guess they really have become a part of us, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess they have," Miley replied with a smile.

"So how are we going to find out what really happened to them?" Lilly asked.

"I think they'll show us, when they're ready," Miley answered solemnly. "It's pretty obvious they've been sharing their lives with us for a reason."

"You… you think they're to talk to us or something?" Lilly asked uncertainly.

"I don't know what to call it," Miley answered, "but why else would we be experiencing these things? We're not just _seeing_ their lives, Lils… we're feeling what they felt!"

"Then what you've been saying must be true," Lilly responded. "Everything we've seen, everything we've experienced, is because Sammy & Nattie are trying to tell us something."

"Whatever it is, I think we're getting closer to it," Miley added. "I just hope…" She blinked. An eerily familiar sensation began to sweep over her.

"I think we're about to find out," she announced. Lilly started to stand, but Miley prevented her from doing so.

"They'll probably just think… we fell asleep… doing our research…" Miley struggled to explain. Lilly nodded sleepily and sat back down. Smiling, Miley rested her head in Lilly's lap and closed her eyes. Lilly placed her hand protectively on Miley's head and gently stroked her long auburn hair until the mysterious sleep claimed her as well…

* * *

_Nearly six months after being abandoned by their own family, and failing in every attempt to support themselves, Sammy & Nattie were taken by in the kindly ladies who called the 'Silver Shamrock' Saloon home. Sadie O'Brien, a gregarious Irish woman with a friendly smile and a sharp tongue, was the madam who ran the place._

"_You really don't have to do this," Sammy said hesitantly, as she watched Sadie O'Brien prepare a spare room her and Nattie. The older woman smiled._

_"Nonsense," she responded. "I don't care what people say; I'm not about to leave you out on the streets!" She finished making the bed in front of her._

_"You're staying here, and that's final," Sadie said, her tone firm despite her smile. She looked over at Nattie. _

"_All three of you," she added. Nattie blushed._

_"It's… it's not what you think…" she stammered._

_"Honey, I'm the last person who should be judgin' anybody," Sadie replied. "It's really none o' my business. When your time comes though, you and your baby are both welcome to stay here." She made her way to the door, ready to give Sammy & Nattie their privacy at last._

_"I'll leave you alone now; I have business to attend to. Dinner's at eight o'clock sharp." She smiled again and walked away. When she was gone, Nattie walked over and sat down on the freshly-made bed. Sammy sat beside her._

_"You okay, Nattie girl?" Sammy asked her, love and concern showing in her voice._

_"I'll be all right," Nattie replied. "Just feeling a little tired all of the sudden." She rested her head on Sammy's shoulder._

_"I can't believe everything that's happened to us," she whispered. Sammy nodded ruefully._

_"I know," she muttered. "As if being forced to live on the streets wasn't bad enough… I never imagined you were…"_

_"I said I was sorry," Nattie whimpered. Sammy hugged her carefully._

_"I'm not mad, Nattie girl," she said softly. "I could never be mad at you. I just wasn't expectin' it. You never told me you and James had… y'know."_

_"I was scared, Sammy," Nattie replied, closing her eyes. "Your parents were so kind to take me in after the accident. I was afraid they would cast me out, if they knew James and I had been together before we exchanged our vows…"_

_"Looks like it didn't make much difference," Sammy replied bitterly._

_"I'm so sorry," Nattie said sadly, her voice breaking. "This is all my fault…"_

_"Stop." Sammy kissed Nattie gently on the forehead and began to stroke her shoulder-length blonde tresses. "None of this is your fault, Nattie girl; none of it. Daddy made his choice, and I made mine. All that matters to me is that we're together."_

_"What about your family though?" Nattie asked, still feeling terribly guilty. Sammy smiled warmly._

_"I _have_ a family," she said proudly, and she reached down to tenderly caress Nattie's swollen stomach. "You're all I need, Nattie girl; I'll stand by you and the baby no matter what." Staring at the unborn child still growing within Nattie, Sammy felt a twinge of sorrow._

_"Did James know?" she asked carefully. Nattie shook her head solemnly._

_"I never got the chance to tell him… before the accident that took him and my parents. No one knew… until I told you."_

_"You know it doesn't change how I feel about you, right?" Sammy told her. "I'll love you as long as you'll have me, Nattie girl." Smiling through her tears, Nattie leaned forward to kiss the woman she loved. She stopped abruptly, feeling a sudden pain ripping through her abdomen._

_"Nattie? What is it?" Sammy asked, noticing her pained expression._

_"It… hurts!" Nattie managed. Her hands instinctively went to her distended belly. Sammy's eyes widened._

_"Oh my gosh! The baby!" She quickly helped Nattie to lie down, propping up a pillow behind her head. "Just take it easy, Nattie girl… I'm right here."_

_"Relax, Sammy," Nattie assured her. "It's probably just a false alarm…" Another intense pain quickly changed her mind._

_"Hang on, Nattie girl! I'm gonna go find Sadie!"_

* * *

_Two hours later, Elizabeth Samantha Gann was born into the world. It was Nattie herself who insisted on giving her child Sammy's last name, rather than her late father's._

_"She's ours now, Sammy" Nattie said simply, "Yours and mine. I want her to share the name of the woman she'll grow up calling her mother." Sammy could only smile through her joyful tears._

_"I don't know what to say, Nattie…" She kissed Nattie gently. "I love you so much."_

_"If you two are through," Sadie O'Brien teased them playfully, "I think momma and baby need their rest now." Sammy gave a reluctant nod._

_"All right," she said in a quiet voice. She kissed Nattie again, and then gave little Elizabeth, sleeping quietly in her mother's arms, a gentle peck on her forehead._

_"I'll be back to see both of my beautiful girls later," she said sweetly. She stood up to go. At that moment, another young woman rushed into the room. Of Asian descent, she had long dark hair._

_"Sadie!" she cried out in alarm._

_"Su-Lin!" Sadie admonished her. "What do you mean by burstin' in here like that?"_

_"Fire!" Su-Lin shouted. "We're on fire!!" Sadie O'Brien's eyes widened in alarm at the young woman's words._

_"Fire?! Are ya sure, Su Lin?" Sammy bolted over to her._

_"Sadie, I can smell smoke! She's not joking!"_

_"Then we've got ta get everyone out of here!" Sadie shouted back. "Su Lin, get back downstairs and help the others escape!"_

_"Nattie and Elizabeth!" Sammy rushed back over to the woman she loved, Sadie O'Brien right behind her. Already, thick, choking smoke was beginning to drift into the small room._

_"Nattie!" Sammy screamed. "Nattie girl, we've gotta get out of here! The building's on fire!" Nattie wrapped her arms protectively around her baby._

_"I… I don't know if I can, Sammy! I'm still so sore, I don't know if I can even move!"_

_"I'll help you, Nattie girl!" Gently, Sammy picked up baby Elizabeth and passed her to Sadie O'Brien._

_"Please, Sadie… get Elizabeth out of here! I'll help Nattie!" Swallowing, Sadie did as she was asked and hurried from the room with her precious cargo. Sammy turned back to Nattie. Slowly, carefully, she slid her arm around Nattie's back and helped her into a sitting position._

_"Put your arm around me, Nattie girl," Sammy instructed her. "Now I'm going to help you stand. Just lean on me." It wasn't easy, but after a few tense moments, Sammy managed to get Nattie to her feet._

_"Good job, Nattie girl," Sammy whispered soothingly. "Now, we have to get out of here before it's too late!" Half dragging Nattie with her, Sammy began making her way quickly across the room. Flames had all but consumed the hallway beyond, but they pressed on despite the searing heat. They were almost to the stairway when Nattie nearly collapsed against Sammy._

_"Nattie, get up!"_

_"I can't, Sammy! It hurts!" The searing flames began to close in on the two young lovers. Suddenly, a huge chunk of the roof caved in over their heads. Sammy grabbed Nattie and rolled them both out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding the deadly flaming debris._

_"You have to go, Sammy!" Nattie moaned. "Please, you have to save yourself!"_

_"I won't leave you, Nattie!" Sammy shouted back. She pulled Nattie to her._

_"Please, Sammy! I can't make it… but you can! Please… for Elizabeth… you have to go!" Tears streamed down Sammy's face._

_"No," she whimpered, grief constricting her throat. "I can't leave you, Nattie girl… I can't!" Nattie looked like she was about argue again, but Sammy stopped her with a kiss._

_"I love you, Nattie girl," she whispered, "With all my heart. You're my world, Nattie. Please don't ask me to live without you… 'cause you know I can't."_

_"I love you too, Sammy… so much…" Nattie sobbed. "Please… if you stay here…"_

_"If I'm going to die, Nattie girl… I don't want it to be anywhere else than in your arms." The flames roared closer, and Nattie screamed._

_"Close your eyes, Nattie" Sammy told her softly. "Don't look at it. Just hold onto me…" The timbers of the old building began to creak and groan all around them, as the terrible fire burned through them. The place wasn't going to last much longer._

_"Nattie?" Sammy called softly to her. "I… I want you to know… I don't regret one moment we had together. No matter what happens… I wouldn't change a thing." Closing her eyes, Sammy rested her cool cheek against Nattie's sweaty forehead and hugged her fiercely. _

"_I wouldn't either, Sammy," Nattie whispered back to her. "If… if I have to embrace eternity… then at least I know I'm already in the arms of an angel." She held Sammy to her, feeling only her warmth and love. Together in a world all their own, hearts beating as one, Sammy and Nattie no longer noticed the deadly flames closing in on them. As long as they were together, the world beyond held no fear for them._

_Seconds later, the entire roof of the 'Silver Shamrock' caved in…_

* * *

"_No!!_" Lilly cried out in anguish. "_Miley!!_" Miley's head shot up from where she had been resting in Lilly's lap, eyes filled with tears.

"Lilly!" she shouted. She jumped to her feet and pulled Lilly to her in a fierce hug. "I'm here, baby! I love you!" Slowly, gradually, Lilly found herself returning to consciousness once more. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she held Miley to her, refusing to let go.

"M-Miley?" she managed.

"I-I'm here, Lilly-Bear," Miley whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Lilly replied, swallowing. "It… it was so real, Miley! I thought… I thought I was going to lose you!"

"I know," Miley said softly, nuzzling Lilly's cheek. "It felt like we were right there with them… with Sammy and Nattie…"

"Like we were going to die… in each other's arms..." Lilly sniffled, tightening her embrace around Miley.

"It's all right, Lils," Miley told her gently. "I'm still with you… and I'm never gonna let go, understand? I'm never gonna let you go, Lilly-Bear."

"Oh, Miley," Lilly sobbed. "I l-love you… so much…" Smiling through her own tears, Miley gently pulled back so she could look Lilly in the face. The face of the angel she loved more than anything. Slowly, gently, she leaned in and kissed Lilly passionately. She felt her whole body tingle with the sensations of the kiss, and the sheer force of powerful emotions behind it. When they finally parted some minutes later, Miley remained sitting in Lilly's lap, lovingly playing with her long blonde hair.

"Better now?" Miley asked her playfully.

"I'm so beyond better, it's not funny," Lilly quipped, a big grin on her face. She looked into the intense blue depths of her Miley's eyes.

"I'm sorry about that," she said. "The tears and hysterics and everything, I mean. I am so _not_ sorry about that kiss!" Miley laughed.

"I knew what you meant, Lils. As for my kisses, you better get used to 'em! Lilly grinned and licked her lips seductively.

"_So_ not a problem, Miles, believe me," she answered, smiling. Feeling the room suddenly growing much warmer, Miley cleared her throat and reluctantly forced herself to stand up again.

"You're no fun," Lilly teased her.

"Later," Miley told her, eyes twinkling with unspoken promise. "We've got something else to take care of first." Lilly nodded ruefully.

"I know… poor Sammy and Nattie…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "That was so awful…" Miley nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed. "You know what's funny though?" Lilly opened her eyes to look at Miley, a puzzled expression on her face. "Right at the end, it didn't feel so terrible anymore. I just felt their love…" She blushed slightly.

"I did too, Miles," Lilly responded. "At the end, it was stronger than anything… even stronger than what was happening to them." Miley nodded in agreement.

"I guess, for Sammy and Nattie, love really _did_ conquer all."

"What does it all mean though, Miles?" Lilly asked softly. "What were they trying to tell us?"

"There's only one thing I can think of," Miley replied slowly. "In all the things they showed us… all the dreams we had of their short time together… there's one thing they really never got the chance to do." Lilly looked at her quizzically for a moment, not understanding. Then her eyes grew wide.

"Elizabeth…" she breathed. Miley nodded again.

"Yeah," she agreed sadly. "Little Elizabeth escaped from the fire, but they didn't. They never got the chance to see her grow up… and she never got the chance to know her mothers." Lilly looked away for a moment, willing tears not to come.

"So sad…" she whispered. "Hey! Wait a minute!" She swiveled her chair around, turning herself back towards the computer, and typed in another search.

"Miley, look!" she called out a moment later. Miley leaned against Lilly and stared at the computer screen over Lilly's shoulder. She saw a picture of an older woman with fiery red hair, standing beside the charred ruins of the 'Silver Shamrock' Saloon. She wore a saddened expression, and carried a tiny baby in her arms.

"Lils… that looks like…"

"It is," Lilly told her. "That's Sadie O'Brien; it says so in the caption."

"Then the baby she's holding… that must be Elizabeth!" Miley gasped.

"One problem, though," Lilly said. She tapped her finger on the screen, pointing at the caption beneath the picture. "It says the baby's name is Elizabeth _O'Brien_." Miley stared at her girlfriend.

"Sadie… she must have adopted Elizabeth, after… after the fire," she managed.

"I guess she figured it was the least she could do for the poor thing," Lilly reasoned sadly. "She probably raised little Elizabeth as her own."

"Lils," Miley said gently. "Do a search for 'Elizabeth O'Brien'; let's see what happened to her." Lilly did as she was asked.

"Says she lived a nice, long life," she said a few minutes later. "Elizabeth Samantha O'Brien lived to the ripe old age of 84; she got married to James Saroyan when she was 19 and had a loving family of her own." Miley tapped a finger thoughtfully against her cheek.

"I bet she never even knew about Sammy and Nattie," she said sadly.

"Probably not," Lilly agreed.

"Then she grew up never knowing the truth…" Miley whispered. She drew in a sudden breath.

"Lilly! Are any of Elizabeth's descendants still alive today?"

"Let me check," Lilly responded, not entirely sure what Miley was getting at. She found the results she was looking for after a few brief moments.

"You were right, Miles," she said hesitantly. "It says Elizabeth's granddaughter, Natalie Saroyan, is alive and well and living in Anaheim, California."

"That's it, Lils," Miley breathed. Lilly looked up at her.

"Huh?"

"Don't you see? No one remembers Sammy and Nattie now… no one but us. We've got to find Natalie Saroyan and tell her truth!"

"Miles… she'll think we're nuts!"

"Not if we can prove it to her," Miley said, smiling. "Print out what you can about her grandmother's family; we'll take the papers to show her."

"You sure that'll be enough?" Lilly asked doubtfully.

"We've got another kind of proof, too," Miley answered. She raised Lilly's arm, showing off the silver and turquoise bracelet she still wore.

"This is what Sammy and Nattie want us to do, Lils… I'm sure of it now! We have to find their great-granddaughter and tell her the truth about them – so they'll know they didn't die for nothing!"


	9. Peace & Love

**A/N: I hope I did this chapter justice... this is the fastest I've ever updated anything! :)**

CHAPTER NINE

PEACE & LOVE

"Are you really sure about this, Miles?" Lilly asked as she carefully drove their car up to a small white house with a neatly maintained front yard.

"We have to do this, Lils," Miley replied. "You know it's what Sammy and Nattie would want." Lilly swallowed.

"I know," she said. "I just hope it works out as well as you think it will."

"Trust me, oh ye of little faith," Miley teased her. Lilly just laughed. Taking a deep breath, she put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Miley looked over at her and smiled.

"It'll be all right, Lils; you'll see." She unbuckled her seat belt, gathered the folder of papers in her lap and opened the passenger side door. Hesitantly, Lilly climbed out the driver's side as well and walked over to where Miley stood waiting for her, hand outstretched. Lilly took Miley's hand and squeezed it warmly, smiling despite the fear and uncertainty she felt.

"All right, Miles; let's get this over with."

"Aw, c'mon Lils! You're acting like we're going to the dentist or something!"

"At least at the dentist you get suckers," Lilly quipped. Miley giggled, then grew serious.

"Don't you want to do this for Sammy and Nattie?" she asked Lilly carefully. Lilly couldn't help sighing.

"Of course I do," she said quietly. "You know I want them to be at peace as much as you do, Miles; I'm just worried this lady is gonna think we're crazy and call out the guys in the white coats!"

"Then at least we'll have tried," Miley told her gently, "and hey – we'll have a room with nice, soft walls to look forward to!" Lilly grinned and shook her head.

"You'd look at the bright side of a train wreck, wouldn't you, Miles?"

"Was it a big train?" Miley replied innocently. Lilly snorted.

"I rest my case," she said with a laugh.

"Besides," Miley said, raising her eyebrow suggestively, "I could definitely make it worth your while." _That_ got Lilly's attention.

"Oh, no," Lilly retorted. "I remember the last time you said that…!"

"I kept my promise, didn't I?" Miley asked, her eyes twinkling.

"So what are you gonna bribe me with this time?" Lilly asked playfully. Miley pretended to think about it for a moment.

"How about this?" she replied seductively. She leaned in close to Lilly and whispered something in her ear. She made her offer even harder to refuse by playfully nibbling on Lilly's ear lobe. Lilly stiffened, her cheeks coloring.

"Sweet niblets…" she whispered, trying hard to stay calm.

"That's my line," Miley laughed. "Anyway, would that make it worth your while?"

"_Oh_ yeah!" Lilly exclaimed with a goofy grin on her face. "Lilly likey _lots_!"

"Good," Miley said with a grin. "Now let's do this." Hand in hand, they walked up the front door of the house, and Miley tentatively knocked on it. After a few moments, a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair answered.

"Yes?" she greeted them, her tone clipped and business-like. Miley found herself unable to answer for a moment. The woman looked so much like Nattie it was unreal.

"Oh yeah, sorry!" Miley quickly recovered. "Are you Natalie Saroyan?"

"I am," the woman replied coldly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Miley Stewart, and this is my girlfriend Lilly Truscott. I know this is gonna sound weird, but we'd like to talk to you about your great-grandmother… well, great-grandmother_s_, really." She took a breath and waited for blonde-haired woman to reply.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Natalie asked quickly, sounding angry. Miley's face fell.

"No, ma'am," she said carefully. "I swear…!"

"We just think there are some things you should know about them," Lilly added, trying her best to help.

"Them?" Natalie repeated. "The last time I checked, I only had _one_ great-grandmother, like most people. Now, if you don't mind…" She moved to close the door in their faces. Lilly bolted forward and quickly put her hand on the door, to stop her from closing it.

"Excuse me?!" Natalie exclaimed indignantly.

"Please!" Lilly demanded. "Just give us a few moments of your time, and we'll prove to you we're being honest!" She forced herself to calm down.

"We can do it right here, if you like," she continued. "If you don't like what we have to say, we'll just turn around and leave, okay? What have you got to lose?" Natalie Saroyan arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms together over her chest, but to Lilly's relief, she didn't argue again.

"Would it really be so bad to just listen to what we have to say?" Lilly pressed.

"All right," Natalie replied at last. "You have five minutes, young lady." Lilly shared a quick look with Miley, and the taller girl reached into the manila folder she held and pulled out the only picture they had of Sammy and Nattie. She handed it to Natalie, who eyed it suspiciously.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Take a look at the two young girls standing in the back," Miley told her, "Especially the blonde one." Lilly elbowed her.

"Miles, it's a black and white photo!" she hissed.

"I know that, Einstein," Miley retorted. "You can still tell Nattie has lighter hair!" Natalie's head snapped up from the picture.

"What did you say?" she demanded. Miley was caught off-guard by her unusual reaction.

"Uh… the girl in the picture I was telling about; her name was Nattie."

"Really?" Natalie said quietly. "My mother used to call me that." Miley couldn't help smiling a little.

"Maybe you have more in common with that girl than you think," she said. "If you didn't notice before… she looks a lot like you." Natalie looked at the picture again, and this time Miley saw her pale slightly.

"My god," Natalie whispered. "This girl could almost be my twin!"

"Like I was telling you before, her name was Nattie," Miley said. "The darker haired girl standing beside was named Sammy… short for Samantha Jane Gann."

"This all very… interesting," Natalie managed, "but what does it have to do with me?" Miley looked over at Lilly again, unsure how to continue.

"Miss Saroyan?" Lilly asked her. "Do you happen to remember your great-grandmother's name? What she looked like, maybe?"

"I think her name was O'Brien," Natalie replied, still not understanding. "As for what she looked like, my mother had a picture of her she kept on her dresser."

"Look at the picture again," Lilly instructed her. "Is that her, there in the front?" Natalie warily did as she was told and looked down at the picture once again. Her carefully maintained expression changed from one of suspicion to one of utter disbelief.

"That… that's her," she whispered. "I don't understand; where did you get this picture?"

"From the Hall of Records in Marysville," Lilly responded. "It was taken back during the Gold Rush… when she used to work in a place called the 'Silver Shamrock' Saloon."

"What do you mean, she worked there?" Natalie demanded. There was a dangerous look in her eyes.

_Oh, crud…_ Miley thought to herself. _She doesn't know what the woman she knows as her great-grandmother really did for a living! How are we supposed to tell her something like that?! _

"She was the hostess," Lilly said quickly, looking at Miley out of the corner of her eye. Miley didn't like the lie, but she supposed it was going to be difficult enough to try and convince Natalie of the truth about Sammy & Nattie without adding more family revelations on top of it…

"She took those two girls in, saved them from a life on the streets," Lilly continued.

"Really?" Natalie replied. She sounded as though she believed it. "I never knew my great-grandma ever did anything like that. What does that have to do with the things you said before, though?"

"Look, what we have to say…is going to be kind of hard to believe, okay?" Lilly said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "All we're asking is that you at least let us say what we came here to say."

"I'm listening," Natalie replied, though her tone indicated she was rapidly losing patience with everything.

"The woman in the picture – Sadie O'Brien – _wasn't_ your great-grandmother," Miley spoke up, "Not your biological one, anyway."

"That's ridiculous," Natalie muttered, "and I think I've had enough of this nonsense, thank you very much!" She shoved the picture back at Lilly and started to turn away.

"Why do you think you look so much like the young girl also in that picture?" Miley shouted, desperate to at least get Natalie to hear her out. Her words apparently struck a chord, however, because Natalie stopped and turned slightly around to face them again.

"I have no idea," she admitted.

"_She's_ your biological great-grandmother, that's why," Miley told her, her throat tightening with painfully-remembered emotion. "That girl – Nattie – is the woman who actually gave birth to your grandmother." Conflicting emotions warred on Natalie Saroyan's face: anger, disbelief… and deep sadness.

"How do you know that?" she asked, careful not to betray any emotion in her voice.

"That's kind of a long story…" Miley started to say.

"You really expect me to believe two young girls I've never met, who show up on my doorstep out of the blue, and claim they know more about my own family history than I do?" Natalie cut her off. Instead of sounding angry though, she sounded almost desperate to discount what she was hearing. The unexpected change in her voice did not escape Miley and Lilly's notice, and with yet another shared look, they knew they were each suspecting the same thing. It was Lilly who ended up asking the question echoing in both their thoughts.

"This… isn't exactly a surprise to you, is it?" she asked Natalie carefully. Natalie stared at her for a long moment before responding.

"Not exactly," she said honestly. "Can you… can you prove what you're telling me?"

"Well, we have birth certificates and such, if they'll help," Lilly told her hesitantly. "The real proof, though… is this." She held up her wrist, revealing the brilliant silver and turquoise bracelet she was still wearing.

"This was Nattie's bracelet," Lilly said softly. "I found it in a little antique store. Everything we know about Nattie and Sammy, this bracelet has led us to." Natalie's eyes widened, despite her attempts to hide it, when she saw the bracelet. She stared wordlessly at Lilly and her bracelet for a very long time, as if struggling to come to a decision. Then, unexpectedly, she turned around and walked back into her house. This time though, she made no move to close the door.

"Please come in," she called out softly. "There's something I think you should see." Miley and Lilly hesitantly followed Natalie inside her home, wondering what the older woman was talking about.

The house seemed much bigger and more spacious than it appeared to be outside. A small carpeted entryway led out into a wide open living room with a vaulted ceiling. The same pale beige carpeting from the entryway filled the living room as well, contrasting with all the all wood furniture. A large window looked out onto the backyard, where a glistening swimming pool could be seen. Lilly let out a low whistle.

"Nice place," she remarked.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Miley whispered to her.

"Did you see the look on her face when I showed her the bracelet?" Lilly responded, keeping her voice low. "I think she knows something about it."

"How's that possible, Lils?" Miley asked. Lilly shrugged.

"Only one way to find out… and don't worry, if she tries anything, I know kah-ra-tay!" She struck an exaggerated martial arts pose. Miley giggled.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a laugh. To the left of the entryway, a long, similarly carpeted hallway led off to several other smaller rooms. Natalie walked inside the first door on the left and entered the room beyond it. Miley and Lilly quickly followed her, and entered the room just as she was raising a set of horizontal window blinds, allowing brilliant sunlight to enter and illuminate the room. It appeared to be a small study, all but taken up by a large old-fashioned looking wooden roll-top desk. Natalie opened it to reveal a mass of papers and photographs scattered across the desk's surface. Looking at the papers, Lilly realized Natalie had apparently been doing some research of her own into her family history.

"I've been studying my family's history," Natalie told them, confirming Lilly's observation. "My mother… passed away… not too long ago, and when I was going through her things, I found some old birth certificates and other documents, all going back generations." She looked up at Miley and Lilly then, an uncertain expression on her face.

"It took me a while, but I eventually realized she was trying to prove pretty much the exact same thing you've been trying to tell me today… that my grandmother was adopted." When Miley and Lilly didn't respond, she reached over and pulled open one of the desk drawers.

"That's when I found this." She carefully took out a very old, yellowed piece of paper, protected in plastic laminate, and held it out for Miley and Lilly to see. The page was filled with faint but still readable handwriting.

"_I, Sadie O'Brien, being of sound mind and body…_" Miley began to read aloud. She stopped, realizing what she was looking at.

"My great-grandmother's will," Natalie provided. "That is, the woman I _thought_ was my great-grandmother. Read the last lines at the bottom." Miley and Lilly both did so.

"_One last thing I must unburden from my soul: Though I have cared for Elizabeth as if she were my own, she was not born to me_," Miley continued to read aloud. "_The truth lies in the bracelet I have passed on to her._" The weight of the last few words hit Miley & Lilly like a ton of bricks.

"Sweet niblets…" Miley whispered.

"What she said," Lilly agreed.

"I've been looking for that bracelet ever since," Natalie said quietly. "It seemed to have disappeared after my grandmother's death, but I did manage to find one picture of her wearing it. Her wedding picture, actually." She turned over Sadie O'Brien's last will and testament to reveal a pale black and white picture stored back-to-back with it. It showed a young girl with short dark hair wearing a Victorian styled wedding dress. A young man in a neatly tailored suit wearing a bowler hat sat beside her, holding her hand. Clearly visible on the wrist of her outstretched hand was a shining silver bracelet with a small dark stone.

"Lilly!" Miley gasped. "That's…!"

"The bracelet Sammy gave to Nattie," Lilly responded quietly, feeling awestruck by the incredible coincidence.

"I don't get it though," Miley said. "If Nattie was wearing it when… when she and Sammy died… how did baby Elizabeth get it?"

"I don't know, Miles," Lilly replied, still trying to put the pieces together in her head. "Somehow, someway, Sadie O'Brien must've found it, and she passed it on to Elizabeth."

"So she definitely knew what it was, and what it meant," Miley reasoned.

"She also thought it could lead others to the truth about Sammy and Nattie," Lilly added.

"I wonder why?" Miley continued. "I mean, yeah, there's all the things we've been experiencing, but…"

"You've got me, Miles," Lilly responded.

"All I know is, I've been searching every site on the internet, calling or visiting every antique store I could find, hoping I might find it," Natalie interrupted. "Then, a little over a week ago, I called this little antique store in Solvang, California. The lady there told me she had something very similar to what I was looking for. I was going to ask her to send me a picture of it, but then she told me it had been sold."

"That's because I bought it," Lilly told her. "From the moment I first saw it in the display case, I just had to have it. I think maybe something wanted me to buy it…"

"Here," Lilly said. She slipped off the bracelet and handed it to Natalie. "I think it rightfully belongs to you." Natalie gently took it from her, looking at it almost reverently.

"So this belonged to my great-grandmother," she said softly. "My _real_ great-grandmother." Without really thinking about it, she carefully slipped it on her own wrist. Lilly smiled and nodded.

"It was given to her by someone she loved very much." Natalie looked up at her.

"Who might that be?" she asked curiously.

"Her name was Samantha Gann," Lilly answered her. "Sammy, for short. She and Nattie were… well, they were in love with each other."

"Like you two?" Natalie asked with amusement. Lilly started.

"Uh… you could tell?" she asked, surprised. Natalie smiled.

"I'm not blind," she quipped. "You two have practically been attached to each other since I met you."

"It's not a bad thing, you know," Miley spoke up, feeling the sudden need to defend what she and Lilly had.

"I never said it was," Natalie replied. "I'll admit though, I never imagined my great-grandmother was involved in such a relationship. That must've been pretty scandalous back then."

"You have no idea," Lilly muttered.

"_We managed all right, though. Didn't we, Nattie girl?_" Miley shrieked and practically leapt into Lilly's lap. Natalie Saroyan jumped to her feet, started as well.

"W-what…?" Miley managed. "Where is the coming from, Lils?"

"_I think you scared 'em, Sammy!"_

"It can't be," Lilly whispered. "That sounds just like…" Then, as she, Miley and Natalie watched in astonishment, the pale forms of two very familiar young women slowly but surely began to shimmer into being before them. One was slightly taller than the other, with short dark hair and intense brown eyes. She wore a simple red dress with a tattered white apron. The other young woman had long blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Along with a shy smile, she wore simple, dirty brown dress.

"S-Sammy?" Lilly stammered. "N-Nattie?" Sammy smiled and nodded.

"_Yes, Lilly… you and Miley have freed us_."

"F-freed you?" Lilly repeated. "I don't understand…"

"I think… I do," Miley spoke up. She looked at the spectral forms of the two young women she had come to know so well.

"It's because we gave the bracelet to Natalie, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "She knows who you are now; your family remembers you." Sammy floated forward, moving through the air until she was nearly face to face with Miley.

"_It means more to us than you can ever know_," she said, her voice like a quiet breeze. "_Once, our family abandoned us… now, at last, we're accepted again_." Nattie floated up beside Sammy, their ghostly hands finding one another again. Not even death had been able to end their love.

"_Thank you both so much_," Nattie said sincerely, joy shining in her face. Lilly unconsciously took Miley's hand in her own and squeezed it, mirroring Sammy & Nattie's embrace without realizing it.

"_That's why you were able to free us_," Nattie said, smiling. It took Miley a moment to realize what Nattie meant.

"You mean… because Lilly and I…?"

"_The deep and honest love you feel for one another called out to us_," Sammy explained, smiling as well. "_We are like kindred spirits, the four of us. When Lilly touched the bracelet for the first time, we knew we had finally found the ones who could free us_." Miley swallowed.

"I'm so sorry… for everything that happened to you," she managed.

"_Don't cry, Miley_," Nattie replied softly. She reached out a spectral hand to brush away a tear that began to trickle down Miley's cheek.

"_Be happy for us_," she told Miley gently."_Sammy and I are now free to spend eternity together_."

"Great, now she'll cry _happy_ tears," Lilly teased. She wasn't quite able to hide a few tears of her own.

"_Always remember_," Sammy told her softly, "_The love you and Miley feel for each other is a special, wonderful thing. Never let anyone tell you otherwise._"

"_Not everyone is fortunate enough to find the one who completes their soul_," Nattie added. "You _have_… _and so have we_." She put her arms around Sammy.

"_Take care of yourselves_," Sammy said warmly. She and Nattie then turned to look at Natalie Saroyan, who had been watching the whole exchange with wide eyes.

"This… this is impossible…" Natalie whispered.

"_Not if you believe_," Sammy told her. "_I think you do… or you wouldn't have spent all this time searching for us_." She and Nattie floated carefully towards Natalie, stopping a small distance from her. Natalie stared at them, an expression of wonder and disbelief on her face.

"I'm not dreaming," she managed. "This is really happening…" Nattie responded by reaching out to her great-granddaughter with the hand Sammy wasn't already holding. Swallowing, Natalie forced herself to respond in kind, raising one of her arms to reach out towards the spirit of her great-grandmother. Flesh and bone fingers met those made of something not of this world, and Natalie felt herself shiver.

"_She looks so much like you, Nattie girl_," Sammy said with a smile.

"_Yes, she does_," Nattie replied, her voice swelling with motherly pride. "_What's your name?_" she asked her great-granddaughter.

"Natalie… my name is Natalie."

"_I guess it would almost have to be, wouldn't it?_" Nattie replied, smiling. "_Natalie… thank you_." Natalie blinked.

"For what?" she asked.

"_For never giving up on finding us_," Nattie replied simply, "_and for being willing to accept us into your heart… and back into our family_."

"You were always there," Natalie whispered, the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "We just had to find you." A sudden thought entered her mind, and she found herself unable deny the sudden urge to give it voice.

"Could I… could I hug you?" she asked Nattie uncertainly. Nattie smiled. Then, wordlessly, she floated over to Natalie and carefully wrapped her arms around her great-granddaughter in a gentle embrace. For her part, Natalie knew she wouldn't actually be able to feel her great-grandmother's arms around her, but she didn't care. Still, in a way she couldn't quite define or explain, for a brief moment she honestly felt the warmth and love of a flesh-and-blood hug.

"_We have to go now_," Nattie announced, carefully pulling away from Natalie's embrace and drifting back over to Sammy. "_Our time here is over, and now at last we can rest_."

"Wait…" Natalie managed. "There are so many questions I want to ask you! There's so much I want to know!" Nattie looked over at Miley and Lilly and smiled.

"_Ask Miley and Lilly_," she said warmly. "_They can tell you all you want to know… they were there_." She let Sammy's arms envelop her again and melted into the embrace.

"_Remember us_," they said as one. Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. Natalie sagged to the ground, pulling her legs against her chest.

"Are you okay?" Miley asked, holding Lilly as tightly to her as she dared.

"I'm not sure," Natalie replied uncertainly.

"Did we really just see all that?" Lilly asked aloud. "That was… unreal!"

"That was beyond unreal, Lils," Miley replied. "It all really happened, though. Sammy and Nattie really _were_ here." She looked at the woman she loved and smiled.

"They can rest in peace now, together," she said happily.

"I hope we can be that lucky," Lilly replied wistfully. "You know… when our time comes and all that."

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Miley asked playfully.

"Just for the insurance money," Lilly quipped. "Nothing personal Miles, but there's this Porsche I've had my eye on…" Miley laughed and swatted Lilly on the arm.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"You know you love me anyway," Lilly said lightly.

"Yup," Miley replied sweetly. She smiled and gave Lilly a quick peck on the lips.

"I think I can see what they meant," Natalie interrupted. "You two really do have something special." Miley felt herself blush.

"Thank you," she replied. "Sorry about that, by the way; I guess we just get carried away sometimes."

"It's all right," Natalie replied, smiling. "If you don't mind though, I'd like to ask you a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Lilly asked. Natalie cleared her throat.

"I'd like it if you could stay a while… and tell me about me great-grandmothers." She smiled. "Both of them."


	10. From Here to Eternity

**A/N: Well, this is it - the final chapter. A HUGE thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my story, you guys are awesome :) In fact, I dedicate this chapter to all of you, for encouraging me to write the best I could. I hope you all enjoy it. And don't worry... Liley will return! :)**

CHAPTER TEN

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

Miley and Lilley spent the rest of the day with Natalie Saroyan, telling her everything they had learned about Sammy and Nattie. After everything she had already experienced, Natalie believed their tales of her great-grandmothers without question. She was eager to learn about the two remarkable young women she was related to, and Miley and Lilly were happy to share everything they knew about them.

It was late at night when the stories finally came to an end, and Miley and Lilly reluctantly told Natalie it was time for them to leave.

"I understand," Natalie told them. "You both must be very tired."

"Drained is more like it," Lilly quipped. "I think I could sleep for a week."

"I bet I could keep you awake," Miley teased.

"Not in front of company, you won't!" Lilly laughed. "Just keep it in your pants, Stewart!" Miley laughed and stuck her tongue out.

"All right, you two," Natalie chuckled. She had grown somewhat accustomed to Miley and Lilly's teasing banter after spending a day with them, and even now it put a smile on her face. With an effort, she grew serious again.

"Thank you both, for everything," she said sincerely, as they walked to the front door. "This day has been… incredible."

"For us too," Miley answered honestly. "Now that Sammy & Nattie can finally rest in peace, everything seems… right." Natalie nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it does… it really does," They reached the front porch, and she shared a quick hug with Miley & Lilly.

"Take care of yourselves," she said warmly.

"You too, Natalie," Miley replied. "If you ever want to talk, just call us."

"Unless we're on a hot date or something," Lilly joked. "Then you can just leave a message!"

"I just might take you up on that," Natalie responded with a smile. "Now go get some rest, you two." She gave one last, friendly wave and turned back towards her house. Miley and Lilly climbed wearily back into their car, Miley choosing to drive this time. The day's events had left them physically and emotionally drained.

"I should have asked Natalie if there's a good hotel around here," Lilly said with a yawn.

"Honey, we're in Anaheim," Miley replied with a soft laugh. "There's more hotels around here than you can shake a stick at!"

Oh, right," Lilly responded sleepily. "We're in the House of the Mouse now, aren't we?" Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey, can we go tomorrow?" she asked eagerly.

"Go where?" Miley asked, not quite understanding.

"Disneyland, silly!" Lilly exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her seat. "Come on, it'll be fun!" Miley smiled at the child-like enthusiasm in her girlfriend's voice, amazed at how quickly she had changed from exhausted to excited.

"Why not?" she said with a grin. "Some fun with the woman I love would be great, especially after the last few days. Two rules, though!" Lilly raised a curious eyebrow.

"First, we get to sleep in," Miley said firmly.

"No problems here," Lilly agreed. "What's the second?"

"No dragging me on Space Mountain right after breakfast!" Miley laughed.

"You're no fun," Lilly retorted, pretending to pout.

* * *

The girls ended up staying at the Desert Inn and Suites, directly across the street from Disneyland. Exhausted from the experiences of the day before, they slept in til almost eleven o'clock in the morning. Neither of them complained about the nice long sleep, or the opportunity to just lie in each other's arms. Finally though, Lilly climbed reluctantly out of bed.

"Come on, Miles," she called out playfully. "Time to get up… the Happiest Place on Earth is calling to us!" Miley gave a sleepy groan.

"Tell it to come back later," she muttered. Lilly laughed.

"Not this time, sleepyhead; you promised me some Mickey time!" Miley couldn't help but laugh a little at Lilly's insistence; once she set her mind on something, she didn't give up easily.

"All right, all right," Miley replied at last, "but I'm not leaving this hotel room until I've had a shower first!"

"That's agreeable to management," Lilly quipped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "So long as you make it quick," she added with a smile.

"Yes, sir!" Miley gave a mock salute. "Permission for my shower buddy to accompany me? I need someone to help wash my hair." She made the request with a saucy grin.

"That could be arranged," Lilly said with a smile. "Now get a move on, private! We're wasting perfectly good 'coaster time!"

* * *

A little over an hour later, Miley and Lilly walked through the front gates of Disneyland hand in hand. Lilly was grinning ear-to-ear and bubbling with excited energy.

"So where to first?" she asked Miley eagerly. "Space Mountain? Big Thunder? The Mattherhorn?"

"You promised you'd take it easy on me first thing in the morning, Lils," Miley reminded her. "I thought we'd start with something a little slower; how about something in Fantasyland?"

"Peter Pan?" Lilly asked, eyes twinkling.

"Sounds good to me," Miley replied with a smile. "Never Land, here we come!" They began walking towards the entrance tunnels to Main Street, but Lilly stopped abruptly.

"What is it, Lils?"

"Stand over there," she commanded playfully, pointing to the iron fence surrounding the huge portrait of Mickey Mouse made entirely out of blooming flowers.

"Huh? What for?" Miley asked.

"I want to take a picture of you with Mickey," Lilly replied, smiling.

"Uh, Lils? You know he's made of flowers, right?"

"Of course I know that," Lilly responded, pretending to be insulting by the remark. "It'll be cute, okay? Now move it, Stewart!"

"You don't even have a camera!" Miley half-protested.

"Okay, good point," Lilly conceded, sounding defeated. She looked over at one of the nearby newsstands and her eyes lit up. "A problem soon to be corrected, however! You get over there, and I'll be right back!" Miley couldn't help but laugh as he girlfriend dashed away.

_That's my Lilly…_ she thought with amusement. Lilly returned a minute later with a disposable camera in one hand and a receipt in the other.

"Now then, where were we?" she quipped, grinning.

"How come I have to be in the picture alone?" Milly pouted a little. "It'd be cuter with both of us in it, you know."

"Who'd take the picture then?" Lilly asked her, arching an eyebrow. "Mickey?" Miley laughed again.

"How about we ask a nice passerby?" she suggested. She caught site of a young woman dressed in the garb of a Disneyland tour guide and quickly got her attention.

"Excuse me! Could you take a picture of us?" Miley asked her. Lilly playfully stuck her tongue out, and Miley tried not to laugh.

"Sure, no problem," the tour guide replied with a friendly smile, walking over towards them. Lilly handed her the camera and jogged over to stand beside Miley. Smiling, she threw her arms around her girlfriend and rested her cheek on Miley's shoulder. Miley grinned and leaned into the embrace, putting her arms around Lilly as well.

"Adorable," the tour guide commented, smiling along with them. "All right, ready? One… two… three!" She pressed the button and the shutter clicked as the picture was taken.

"Perfect!" Miley said happily. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome," the tour guide responded, handing the camera back. "You two are too cute. Have a magical day!" She waved and walked away. Lilly quickly slipped the camera into her purse.

"One down, twenty three to go!" she exclaimed. "Now, on to Never Land!"

* * *

After their adventurous voyage to Never Land and back, Miley and Lilly chose to ride a few of the other rides in Fantasyland, including "Snow White's Scary Adventures" and "Pinocchio's Daring Journey". While they were passing through the 'dark forest' portion of the Snow White ride, Lilly couldn't resist teasing Miley with her own impression of one of the twisted trees.

"Sure you don't need me to hold you, Miles?" Lilly joked. "Those trees look pret-ty scary…" She held out her arms in an imitation of their gnarled, grasping branches and playfully swiped at Miley.

"Cut that out, Lils!" Miley laughed. "Besides, I think I should probably be more afraid of _you_, than any of the stuff in here!"

"Oh, really?" Lilly quipped.

"Yeah," Miley deadpanned. "Dopey isn't gonna try to cop a feel when I'm not looking…"

"Is that an invitation?" Lilly asked playfully.

"You're bad," Miley laughed again. "And no, it is _not_ an invitation! There will be no groping of Miley in public!" Lilly pretended to be hurt.

"Meanie."

"How about after this we go on one of those fast rides you've been asking about?" Miley offered.

"Ooh, really?" Lilly responded, trying to reign in her renewed excitement.

"Sure," Miley told her, smiling. "If you're lucky, you might even get to hold me for real." She winked.

"Works for me," Lilly said happily. "When I'm done with you Miles, you're gonna be a lover of the 'coasters just like me!"

"Don't hold your breath," Miley chuckled.

Lilly wasted no time in taking Miley up on her offer – she practically dragged Miley straight to Space Mountain, in Tomorrowland, as soon as she could.

"No excuses now," Lilly said as they stood in line, noticing the slightly apprehensive look on Miley's face. "It's nowhere near breakfast time!"

"I know, Lils," Miley replied. "I'm just not a big fan of these kind of rides, you know that."

"You'll be fine," Lilly assured her. "You don't even have to look at the track, if you don't want to." Miley considered that.

"Well… that might not be too bad, then…"

"The whole ride's in the dark, so you can hardly see anything anyway," Lilly continued, smirking.

"What?!" Miley gasped, looking horrified.

"Relax, Miles," Lilly said with a grin. "You're gonna love this, trust me!"

"I better," Miley replied. She meant it as a joke, but her nervousness made the words come out harsher than she'd planned. She smiled wanly. "Sorry, Lils; I'm just nervous."

"It's gonna be great, Miles, really; once you ride this baby, you're gonna be addicted, just like me!"

"I already have an addiction, thank you," Miley quipped, giving Lilly a quick peck on the lips, "and I'm not giving her up for anything." Lilly grinned.

The line moved fairly quickly, and before long they were on the ride itself, roaring past swirling galaxies and distant stars. Lilly spent most of the ride holding her arms up and screaming joyfully; Miley, on the other hand, spent most of the ride screaming for her life and praying it would be over soon. Fortunately for her, it soon was, and the two made their way back outside.

"Wasn't that _awesome_?!" Lilly crowed.

"Not exactly," Miley muttered. She was walking slowly, an arm wrapped protectively around her stomach. Lilly look over at her and saw how pale she had become.

"You okay, Miles?" she asked in concern.

"Sure," Miley replied sarcastically. "The world is _always_ leaning on me…" Lilly laughed a little.

"Come on, let's find you a place to sit down." The found a long bench just ahead, outside the 'Starcade' arcade, and sat down on it together.

"There, much better," Lilly said comfortingly. "Just relax and breathe, okay Miles?"

"I'm trying," Miley responded quietly. "I think I like rides where I can see where I'm going much better…"

"I'm sorry," Lilly said softly. "I thought you'd like it."

"I did," Miley told her ruefully. "Until it started to move…"

"Come here," Lilly said gently. She held out her arms and Miley slowly lowered herself into their warm embrace, closing her eyes and resting her head against Lilly's chest.

"No more fast rides, I promise," Lilly whispered to the love of her life, gently stroking her auburn curls. "Just lay here and rest, Miles; I'll take care of you." She kissed the top of Miley's head and carefully rested her cheek against Miley's forehead. Eyes still closed, Miley smiled.

"Thanks, Lilly. I love you."

"Not nearly as much as I love you, Miley," Lilly responded, smiling as well. Miley squeezed Lilly gently and let herself relax in the love of her life's comforting embrace. It made no difference that they were in the middle of a huge theme park, surrounded by hundreds of other people. All of that just faded away, until nothing was left but for Miley but the warmth and love of Lilly's gentle embrace.

_**Not everyone is fortunate enough to find the one who completes their soul…**_ Sammy's haunting words echoed in Miley's mind, and for perhaps the first time, she realized just how true they were.

_Lilly really is… the other half of my soul; I couldn't imagine my life without her… and I don't ever want to try. I always want her by my side…_

Without realizing it, Miley began to smile again.

"Feeling better, Miles?" Lilly asked her, noticing her smile. Miley just nodded.

_I want to tell Lilly to know just how much she means to me… and I think I know the perfect way to show her…_

* * *

Once Miley's stomach recovered from its ordeal, she and Lilly had a bite to eat at the 'Village Haus' restaurant back in Fantasyland. Then, in the mood to spend some more relaxing time together, they decided to ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat on the Rivers of America, in Frontierland. As the glided along, Lilly whipped out her disposable camera again and snapped a quick picture of Miley standing near the railing, staring out at the tranquil waters.

"What was that for?" Miley asked with a laugh.

"Souvenirs," Lilly replied. "I want something to remember this trip by."

"You need pictures for that?" Miley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not for the important things," Lilly said, smiling. "I just thought it might be nice to have something to hang on my wall when we get back; now, smile again." Miley couldn't help but laugh at Lilly's antics. Shaking her head, she draped an arm over the railing behind her and struck a pose.

"How's this?" she asked with a grin.

"Beautiful," Lilly responded, taking another picture. "Just like you." Miley blushed slightly.

"Not nearly as beautiful as the woman taking the pictures," she said softly. "What now? You gonna ask me to loosen a few buttons…?" she asked jokingly, reaching for her blouse.

"I said I wanted souvenirs, not free porn," Lilly quipped. Miley laughed out loud. Lilly slipped the camera back into her purse.

"Anyway, gotta save some room to take pictures of the fireworks tonight." She walked over to Miley and stood beside her.

"We _can_ go see the fireworks tonight, right?" she asked pleadingly. Miley smiled and nodded.

"You bet. I love fireworks; especially over the castle… I bet it could be really romantic…" She stopped when she noticed Lilly looking at her.

"What?"

"I see that look on your face," Lilly replied, a cute but slightly suspicious expression on her face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Miley lied. "You know, I heard there are supposed to be some cute shops over in New Orleans Square. How about we go check them out?"

"It's a good thing you have all that Hannah money, as much as you like shopping," Lilly teased her.

"Hey, you like sports don't you?" Miley asked.

"Um, duh?" Lilly retorted with a laugh.

"Well, shopping is _my_ sport, "Miley replied, trying to sound serious.

"Sure thing, Miles," Lilly chuckled. "By the way, I'd like to point out that some Disneyland souvenirs would look really killer in my room…" Miley smiled.

"I think we might be able to do something about that." Once the Mark Twain docked, they walked over to New Orleans Square together and began checking out the quaint little shops there. One shop specialized in merchandise from the Haunted Mansion and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Lilly found something she liked there right away.

"I've gotta have this!" she exclaimed, holding up a black hooded sweatshirt with Jack Skellington's grinning face on it.

"I didn't even know you liked that movie, Lils," Miley said to her.

"What's not to like about 'Sandy Claws' and his ghost dog reindeer?" Lilly replied with a grin.

"Well… it _would_ look really cute on you…" Miley said appraisingly. Lilly's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Where's the cash register again?" she asked quickly, looking around. Miley laughed and pointed to it, and Lilly ran to pay for her treasure. Miley took a moment to look around at the other stores nearby. One in particular, called 'Jewel of Orleans', caught her eye.

_I need to go check that place out… but I can't let Lilly know what I've got planned! _At that moment, Lilly herself returned, already wearing her new sweatshirt.

"Like it?" she asked with a smile, turning around so Miley could see all of it. Miley whistled.

"Yup, I was right… it's _you_, Lils!" she replied with a grin of her own.

"Thanks," Lilly replied, trying not to blush. "Now could you hold my bag for a minute? I really gotta go to the bathroom!"

_Perfect…_ Miley thought to herself.

"I think there's one back by the train station," Miley replied, taking the bag with the sweatshirt Lilly _had_ been wearing inside. "I'll wait here for you."

"Are you sure?" Lilly asked uncertainly.

"Sure; I'll be fine. Now get going before you have an accident!" Lilly laughed and hurried off in the direction of the restrooms. Once she was out of sight, Miley made her way over to the jewelry store she'd seen before. By the time Lilly got back, nearly ten minutes later, Miley had already made the most important purchase of her life and hidden it safely in her purse.

"Sorry I took so long… you wouldn't believe the line in that place!"

"No problems, Lils; I found something to do."

"I bet," Lilly quipped. "How much did you spend?"

"Nothing," Miley lied.

"The Queen of Shopping, with nothing to do _but_ shop, and you didn't buy anything?" Lilly asked incredulously.

"I _window_ shopped, thank you very much," Miley replied, pretending to be insulted. "Now that you're back though, we can get on with the real thing!"

* * *

Later that night, after they returned to the hotel to rest for a bit, Miley and Lilly returned to the park to have some dinner and watch the fireworks show. They were early enough to be able to get a good seat, on a bench near Sleeping Beauty Castle, not far from the entrance to Tomorrowland, and settled down to wait for the show to begin.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Lilly said happily.

"I hope so," Miley replied nervously. Lilly frowned.

"You okay, Miles?" she asked

"Oh yeah, sure!" Miley said quickly. She didn't want Lilly to know what was _really_ on her mind… not yet. "I just hope they're not too loud…" she added, trying to explain away her nervousness.

"Ah, they'll be fine," Lilly replied. "If you want though, you can hide in my arms again, okay?" Miley blushed.

"Thanks, Lilly; you're the best."

"Aren't you glad you have me?" Lilly said playfully, grinning.

"You have no idea," Miley whispered to herself.

Shortly afterwards, the first fireworks began to burst in the night sky above. Miley watched them for a little while, her hand idly patting the part of her purse where she'd hidden what she'd bought earlier. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she carefully reached into her purse and pulled it out, making sure Lilly couldn't see her. Then, hiding it in one hand, she tapped Lilly on the shoulder with the other.

"What is it, Miles?" she replied, eyes fixed on the sky above her. Her face was filled with child-like wonder and enthusiasm.

"Lilly…" she started. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she found it suddenly difficult to take a breath. "Lilly, I really need to ask you something…"

"Now?" Lilly asked, her eyes still on the sky above. "We'll miss the show!"

"Please, Lilly… it's really important…" With an effort, Lilly tore her eyes away from the show and turned to look at her girlfriend. Her jaw dropped when she saw Miley go down on one knee in front of her.

"I know this may seem a little sudden," Miley began carefully. "We've only been together a month after all, but I don't think this could ever feel more right." She took a deep breath.

"I love you Lilly, with all my heart. More than I've ever loved anyone. I know there'll never be anyone who makes me feel the way you do… and I'll never want anyone as much as I want you. You really are the other half of my soul, Lilly… and I want to spend the rest of my life with you beside me. Lillian Danielle Truscott… will you marry me?" She held out a small blue velvet box and flipped it open to reveal a glistening diamond ring.

Lilly blinked back tears, not quite able to believe what she was seeing and hearing. Her knees grew weak, her legs threatening to no longer support her, and she found herself suddenly kneeling beside Miley. She wanted to tell Miley how much she loved her, that she truly felt as though Miley was the other half of _her_ soul, and that she never wanted them to be apart… but in the end, she realized she could do so with just one word.

"Yes!" she cried out, flinging her arms around Miley in a fierce hug as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. "Yes, I'll marry you! Oh my god!!" Miley hugged her back with all her love. Then, with trembling hands, she slowly and carefully took the diamond ring out of its box and slid it on Lilly's finger. For a long moment they remained that way, staring into one another's eyes, letting the happy tears flow freely. Finally, Miley stood up, making Lilly stand with her, and kissed her passionately as more fireworks flashed and roared overhead. They parted only when a lack of air gave them no other choice.

"I love you so much," Miley whispered to her fiancé, resting her head on Lilly's shoulder.

"I love you too, Miley," Lilly managed. "I swear, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life showing you just how much."

"Is that a promise?" Miley asked teasingly.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Lilly whispered back.

"Not without me," Miley said lovingly. Then she pulled Lilly to her in another powerful hug, praying to whoever would listen that she would never have to let go…


End file.
